Category Archives: Words and Music

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

People with an attitude are gonna say what they say. And everybody cops an attitude once in a while. Right?

Even us (formerly) long-haired, peacenik, hippy songwriters. (as if)

Anyway…

Way back in 1988 I wrote down some thoughts down based on a personal conflict. And, I just let the words take me where they would. And they took me to piano to write a song I called – Impress Me. I’m sharing the lyrics to the song here on the blog today. If you’d like to hear an old recording of it, subscribe to The Power of God‘s Love podcast. And you’ll have to scroll way back to episode 145 to hear the old version I recorded in a motel room when I was on the road full-time back in the 80s. Here are the lyrics:

Impress Me

They say you’ve got diamonds in your eyes.
They say that your hair is spun from silk.
Well I never cared too much for jewelry
And I never liked honey with my milk.

They say you out-smile the Mona Lisa.
They say you can soothe the savage beast.
Well the Mona Lisa barely curled her lips up
And I’ve seen a lion tamed with just a feast.

So c’mon and impress me..let me see what you’ve got.
Is it true what they say? Can you show me today?
Can you give it a shot?
C’mon and impress me..let me see what you can do.
If you give me a look that you got from a book,
Then I won’t even know you.

They say that you’ve turned a million heads.
They say that your feet don’t touch the ground.
Well lots of women get those double-takes
And it’s hard to feel someone who floats around

repeat chorus

It’s not that I’m so hard to please.
I’ve had my share of victories.
But now I want to hold some flesh and blood.
If my little dam should break, well I don’t think
That I could take the flood.

repeat chorus…inst…repeat chorus twice to end   © 1988 TF

Now, I know you’re impressed. Who wouldn’t be? Because these lyrics should give you the right attitude to give back to any naysayers you have in this life. And you will have them when you take a stand on important issues. To get more inspiration and encouragement like this, your next step 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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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

If you’ve lived long enough to become an adult in this world, you’ve probably noticed how many bad things are done by bad (and good) people. And if there’s a caring bone in your body, maybe you wonder what you can do. You might feel all alone. Or that no one else sees what you see. You might think it’s hopeless because you’re only one man (or woman). And what can just one person do? You might throw your hands up in frustration. If so, give yourself a break. We’ve all been there. I know I’ve been frustrated with people, governments, and nations. Still am.

And I felt so frustrated back in 1988 that I wrote a song to express it. I used dark, minor chords and a dark sounding piano with a nagging, urgent pulse. Then, I added a smacking snare to the drum kit so I could magnify the frustrated feeling of the song. And I did something I don’t often do in my music. I left the question unresolved. I probably did that to challenge myself to find an answer.

And today, I’d like to challenge you to answer the question. Don’t simply ask it with a sense of hopelessness. Find answers. They exist. Truth exists. Hope exists. I bet you know where to find them.

Here are the lyrics to the song I wrote. You might hear it when you Subscribe to The Rhyme And Reason Podcast .

What Can I Do?

I want to dream, but I can’t even get to sleep.
I want to run, but I’ve got promises to keep.
I don’t mind the struggle, but I’m tired of the fight.
I don’t want to stand still while the day turns into night.

But what can I do?
I’m only one man.
I’d love to see peace in this life
But I don’t have a plan.
Tell me what can I do?
I’m only one guy.
I’d love to see love conquer all and hatred run dry.
But what can I do?
Tell me what can I possibly do?

I want to laugh, but I can’t even seem to smile.
I want to win, but I don’t even make the trial.
I don’t mind the darkness, but I do prefer the light.
I don’t want to stand still while the day turns into night.

Chorus…inst…repeat chorus to end  © 1988 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.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

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Just because some authoritative power makes a rule doesn’t make the rule a good one, a just one, or a fair one. In fact, many rules, policies, and laws are downright bad. But you gotta think and ponder and examine to know which rules are good and which are bad. Before you decide to break rules you’d better be sure you’re on the right side.

But is that possible?

Short answer is yes.

But before you break authoritative rules, check yourself.

Maybe you have a lot of self-imposed rules for your life and/or the life of your loved ones. And maybe it would be a good idea to sit down, today, and re-examine whether they’re good ones or not. Here’s how you can know. If your rule shows your love for someone else, it’s a good one. If it doesn’t show love, or if it actually displays selfishness, it’s a bad one. That’s pretty much it. Simple. Right? Well, that depends on if you know HOW to show love.

So, do you?

If you’re not sure you’re any good at showing and sharing love, then I have another simple answer for you. Would you like the rules, you impose on someone else, imposed on you? If you conjure up a silly notion in your head for how someone else should live and treat you, are you willing to live that way and be treated that way? If not, you might’ve made up a bad rule.

I remember this subject came up in a conversation with a nice couple. I met in Tulsa, Oklahoma years and years ago. I was on the road full-time. And I got a booking at a nice hotel in that area. And that couple came in several nights while I was there. They heard a song I wrote, which I’ll share the lyrics to below. And on my break, we all talked about it.

In the end, we all agreed to come down to this: “If I don’t want that done to me, I shouldn’t do it to someone else.” Yeah, get together with the ones you love and talk over what’s going on. If you realize the rules aren’t working, somebody needs to say…

Let’s Break Some Rules

We play it all so careful.
We live within our means.
We don’t wear lots of jewelry or ninety dollar jeans.
We do our own repair work.
We water own lawn.
We’ve minimized the risks we take,
But now the thrill is gone

So let’s break some rules tonight…
Incite a riot in our hearts.
Let’s break some rules tonight…
Get someone else to play our parts.
Let’s create some tension;
Go out and grab some danger,
And they make say we look like total fools,
But at least for awhile…let’s break some rules.

We curse those Monday mornings
We gripe about our pay
We say we’ll make some changes
But it just can’t be today.

Chorus…

Well, who’s gonna do it if we don’t?
Who’ll make it better if we won’t?
I wonder…don’t it make you wonder?!

chorus…etc.

© 1987 Tony Funderburk (April 29)

(psst…if you wanna hear an old recording of this song, Tune in to The Power of God’s Love Podcast)

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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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

You may believe what the talking heads on TV say, but I don’t. They can’t even get the weather right most of the time, so why would we think they can get human idiosyncrasies right? I know why they can’t (or don’t) get things right. It boils down to a principal thing, a 6 letter word…

Wisdom! It’s the principal thing.

It’s the main attraction. It’s the cat’s meow. And without wisdom you can’t expect much more out of life than chasing shadows and catching ghosts.

Okay, this isn’t actually a rant. It’s an exposé. As a multimedia writer, I’m always on the lookout for technology, gadgets, and ways to improve my performance and productivity. It’s not just about black words on a white screen for me. It’s about ideas. And not just any ideas, but ideas with wisdom.

Have you ever heard this quote? Or something very similar to it? “Small minds talk about people. Mediocre minds talk about things. But great minds talk about ideas.”

And those kinds of minds understand the principal thing.

That’s why ideas create whole new industries. The possibilities are endless. And when you come up with ideas using wisdom and discernment, you can be pretty sure they’ll last longer than fads and fans of fads.

Don’t know about you, but I like the idea of creating instead of lamenting. Remember your own can-do spirit, and get your mind on ideas. Turn off the TV when small minds and talking heads are talking about people. Turn off the radio when mediocre minds are talking about things.

Set your brain on fire with some great ideas. Then pick one and make it happen. And then share it with me, and if you’re OK with it, I’ll share it with my listeners and readers. Is it a deal? Speaking of ideas, I decided to motivate myself a few years ago with the principal thing in this song called…

Move It

Tired of makin’ dreams come true for everybody else
I’ve got lots of ideas in my head.
I just need to break free from these chains that hold me down
And make much more than my daily bread.

The status quo’s gotta go, I’m gonna get better yet…
A paradigm for the time…the light to shine is all mine.

I gotta get shakin’…ain’t no mistakin’,
Can’t be no fakin’ changes I’m makin’
And it can’t be proven while a mountain needs movin’
So, I’m gonna go move it. Yeah, I’m gonna go move it.

Who knows? Maybe I can take it further than I thought
And make sure my friends can come along
All the way to where my once elusive dreams come true
Where ideas grow faster and get strong.

I’ll stay afloat like a boat when I keep my eyes on the prize.
And I’ll break through deja vu. No goin’ back on the track.

I gotta get shakin’…ain’t no mistakin’,
Can’t be no fakin’ changes I’m makin’
And it can’t be proven while a mountain needs movin’
So, I’m gonna go move it. Yeah, I’m gonna go move it.

Move it. Move it. I’m not standin’ still here anymore.
Move it. Move it. Better than I ever did before.     © 2019 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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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Why would anyone say something like ~ I Am Nothing? Because my guess is most people who say that are just chiming in with a little false humility.

Have you ever asked yourself any, or all, these three questions:

  • Am I not important?
  • Does my life mean nothing?
  • Do I serve no useful purpose in this world?

The answer to all three of those questions is “no,” by the way.

King David, maybe you’ve heard of him, knew the difference between false humility and humbling himself before God. And he had to learn some hard lessons to get there.

But King David, in Psalm 16, wrote: ~ O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.” Yeah, apart from God, even a king ain’t all that much.

I freely acknowledge that I am nothing without God.

And God still says that I’m important enough to Him that He knows the number of hairs on my head. They’re Much easier to count these days because there’s a lot less of them.

My guesstimation, since you’re reading this or listening to it on  The Power of God’s Love podcast , that you’re a human being. And that means you’re made in the image and likeness of God. No other creature on the planet can make that claim. Just us humans. God clearly says that in the Bible.

And He clearly demonstrates how important this distinction is. Over and over. You ARE important to God. You were created with eternity written on your heart. There IS at least a part of you that will last forever. And if you choose to believe and trust in Jesus as your eternal source of life, that forever will be with Him in paradise.

But…

…if you choose to serve yourself, and I know you’re not gonna do that, you’ll experience an eternity of knowing just how much of a nothing burger you are without God.

Back in 2001 I wrote a song about a guy I know personally. And I called that guy stupid and blind. When my mom heard this song, She defended that guy. And she told me I shouldn’t have called him that. But there’s an old saying that you “call a spade a spade.“ Right? Since I knew the truth about that guy, I wrote it into the song. I’ll share the lyrics below. And I’ll share the song on The Power of God’s Love podcast.

Consequential Servitude

God looked down on me…He knew I was wrong…
Usurped my position I held for so long
Yeah, He just took over…where my brain left off
He knew it was risky…He knew they’d all scoff
Sometimes I’m so stupid, and so often blind…
Trade reason for feelings; mistakes underlined

And so again; I behold the outer man
Through God’s condescending attitude,
And I defer to the perfect Architect
And this consequential servitude

He spirals His thoughts…through my barricade
He knows I am feeble…yet hands me His blade
And He tells me to rise up…from my Phoenix blight
He builds me a fortress of conquering Light
When my clay is brittle…and crumbles to sand
I long to be putty…in my Master’s hand…

And then I can behold the inner man
Through God’s condescending attitude
Because He chose me as His dwelling place
I choose this consequential servitude

There were no incantations, no hallelujah chorus
He succumbed to His detractors; withstood an inquisition…
And then commended His spirit, relinquished His position,
And then He died a death that was for us!  ©  2001 & 2008-09

Here’s what I tell people, who’re willing to listen, when I see that it looks like they are walking, or running, or zooming toward eternal bleakness.

One easy choice can change your direction. And you won’t regret your decision one day for the next multillion years. Trust your Creator. Because He took your punishment and gave you the keys to eternal life in paradise, when you do.

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,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

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By the Grace of God I’ve enjoyed a life filled with music, singing, and songwriting. I’ve been all over the country because of my ability to carry a tune. And I say by the Grace of God because I’ve been a miserable failure in so many other ways…so many times. God never saw fit to take my gifts away. For some reason He still trusts me with them…

Even though I’ve let Him down time and time again.

So, my testimony of conscience, today, is this…

I’ve tried to conduct myself with simplicity and godly sincerity in this world. But I freely admit my shortcomings and count myself in the Apostle Paul’s corner as a chief among sinners.

So, does this mean there should be no boasting and I should throw in the towel? Well, if you take it that way, I wonder if you doubt Paul’s sincerity in 2 Corinthians 1:12-14 when he says “for our boasting is this…” And I wonder if you trust one of the follow-up statements “that we are your boast as you also are ours”.

It’s key to know what Paul is talking about in that passage? Those 3 verses begin and end with words about boasting. But the key is in the middle…Grace of God. And shouldn’t that key always be in the middle of your life?

Here are the lyrics to a song that describes my testimony. If you wanna hear the song, tune in to The Power of God’s Love Podcast

You Are

I’m not amazing. I’m no king.
No, I’m not the God of anything…
Oh but You are. Jesus…You are.
I’m not a savior. I’m not pure.
No, I’m not the One who has the cure…
Oh but You are. Jesus…You are.

You are…the start and finish
You are…the Morning Star.
Your love will not diminish.
You’re the Life Everlasting.
You’re the Rock of offense.
And You’re the Only Source of Truth
Who makes it all make sense.
If they ask who’s gonna mend
This broken world, I’ll commence
To saying You are. Jesus…You are.

I’m not perfection. I’m not near.
No, I’m not the One anyone should fear.
Oh, but You are. Jesus…You are.
I’m not the True Vine nor The Word.
No, I’m not the Amen that we’ve heard.
Oh, but You are. Jesus…You are.

Chorus 3 times      © 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,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

In his letter to the Philippians (which can be found in the Bible, in case you didn’t know), Paul mentioned “fellow workers” whose names are written in the Book of Life. And I believe that’s a book you wanna make sure your name is in. I know I do. Because, Whether it’s a physical book or not, it appears to be pretty important. Because the word book and the word life are both capitalized. And, in the Bible, capitalization is often used to indicate importance.

Anyway…

It’s way better to be in that book than on the list Paul mentions later.

Yeah, you sure don’t wanna be on the list he shared with his spiritual son, Timothy. I’ll share it with you, now, in a bullet list, and I think you’ll see what I mean right away. Paul said “in those perilous times” men would be:

  • lovers of themselves,
  • lovers of money,
  • boasters,
  • proud,
  • blasphemers,
  • disobedient to parents,
  • unthankful,
  • unholy,
  • unloving,
  • unforgiving,
  • slanderers,
  • without self-control,
  • brutal,
  • despisers of good,
  • traitors,
  • headstrong,
  • haughty,
  • lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
  • having a form of godliness but denying its power

I don’t know about you. but those perilous times seem like THESE perilous times to me. I mean, just check out the social media feeds. Or watch so-called pro sports events. Or, if you still watch TV news, I don’t, there are plenty of examples on there, too.

You’ll see almost endless examples of men who fit those descriptions. Women too. Videos are everywhere showing people hating on each other. Viciously. So, what’s the solution?

Trust the Judge, trust the Judge
Who will never ever budge
From what’s right. He’s the light.
He will lead you out of night
Into day, He’s the Way.
Seek Him out. Join today.

It’s a very exclusive club.

People who prefer to keep their name on the list I shared before or not allowed.

AND it’s a very inclusive club, too.

Anyone and everyone who would rather choose to love their creator is welcome. And there’s an eternal lifetime membership. And the dues have already been paid up.

How cool is that? if you agree it’s cool, your name, probably isn’t on the list above. And I bet that it’s in…

The Book of Life

Don’t take any wooden nickels.
Don’t wait for the leftover soup
Why settle for your second choice?
Why live in a chicken coup?

You need what you see before you
You don’t need to look behind
And how status quo can bore you
And now that old contract’s signed..

But you can….Get your name in the best of places
Get your name in the book of Life
Leave it here where the world erases
Or you can….Get your name in the book of Life

Rush out for the latest fashion
Dash out to that trendsetting mall
Charge it to the lowest balance
Charge on, you can shop till you fall

Reach out and grab for the gusto
Hold on ‘cause you only live once
Dream on; only you can stop you
Dream on; fulfill all of your wants!? (repeat chorus)

Can you live, can you truly live
Among your dreams; among your thing
What you buy you’ll give up someday
And where will you be when all Heaven sings?

repeat chorus to end…  © 1999 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.

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo