Rhyme and Reason

Tony Funderburk
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Tony Funderburk is the Rhyme and Reason Christian Author Publisher Podcaster who shares the power of God’s love in every episode. He’s the author and publisher of more than 100 books (and counting) for adults and kids, thousands of articles, and hundreds of songs. Get some free songs, a rhyming book for kids, and more, when you subscribe to Rhyme and Reason, today, at TonyFunderburk.com

  1. 5d ago

    Go to college unless you care about knowledge

    If you care about your kids and grandkids, pay attention to this. Way, way back in the twentieth century, I was able to go to college in the rural countryside of Kansas. Have you ever watched the episode of The Waltons about John boy’s first day in college? Well, watching him is practically like watching me show up for my first day. Because the halls of higher learning held that same mystique of hopeful anticipation for me, too. But I soon discovered how getting to go to college ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. Unfortunately for me, by the time I was in college, it was nothing like John boy’s experience. Universities had already become institutions for thought control. But thankfully it was happening slower at my college in the rural countryside of Kansas. Because that’s a part of the country where generations had grown up with a Christian conservative worldview. However… I noticed classes, like “Western Civilization” and “Sociology I & II, shared one-sided political views. Maybe I was surprised because I was raised with a Christian conservative worldview. And even my public high school had leaned heavily in that direction. No kidding. But it didn’t take me years of college to figure out the so-called “enlightenment” in the halls of higher learning sounded like George Orwell wrote the script. And it wasn’t even 1984 yet. And that became glaringly apparent on one of my homework assignments. The year I first attended college a crucial bill was put to the voters, in Kansas. It was about whether or not motorcyclists would be required to wear helmets. Gasp! Imagine the carnage and chaos of no motorcycle helmets. My journalism professor gave us an assignment to present a pro or con view on a controversial topic. So, I chose the motorcycle helmet issue on the ballot. I took the somewhat controversial “no helmets” side of the debate. And I wrote about how it would end up being another small step toward total government control of every corner of our lives. Boy, howdy, was I wrong! NOT! Thankfully there were still plenty of others, back then, who agreed with my position on the topic. But I was surprised at how “passionate” others could be in their opposing opinions. They actually got mad about it. Fast forward to now. Thank goodness you can go to college without a motorcycle helmet or big brother watching and/or listening to your every move. Right? Hello? Uh… Nowadays people don’t just present “passionate” opinions. Yeah, large groups of people have determined it’s perfectly fine to riot and loot and burn down businesses to “express their views.” But here’s a key point. We have voted our way into this mess. And I predict we won’t vote our way out of it. So I’ll leave this here for you to ponder… Passion doesn’t make you right. Learning doesn’t shed more light, When it’s learning based on lies And rebellious alibis. If you trust God more than college, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how: Get Rhyme and Reason delivered to your inbox for free. It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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, The post Go to college unless you care about knowledge appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

  2. Aug 11

    Metaphors for kids are found in rhyme and reason ground

    I enjoy dreaming up metaphors for kids. Plain and simple. Because, when I write, I like to hide the deeper meaning just a little below the surface. Try to get ‘em to think. Not just react. I love rhymes. But I also love reason. And by “reason,” of course I mean logic. Read my Rhyme and Reason blog posts and so many of my rhymes can seem illogical. On the surface. That’s because I create colorful characters from things you do AND don’t find in life. Then I apply Truth and reality. Some people take a couple of words like “dazzle candy” and use them to describe drugs or a mind altering experience. So, I’m gonna stake my claim on those same words and use them for doing good. It’s a shame to let colorful, whimsical, and shining words get hijacked for darker purposes. It won’t give you cavities. It has no calories. And it could actually be good for you. Let me know if you have any side effects when you enjoy some… Dazzle Candy When you don’t feel fine and dandy, Find yourself some dazzle candy. You could munch on lightning sweets And tons of fat-free thunder treats. ‘Cause dazzle candy isn’t bad. It doesn’t leave you feeling sad Or longing for another bite. It satisfies your soul just right. Things that truly come in handy… You can find in dazzle candy. Inspiration, motivation, Knowledge of your own creation… Make yourself a heartfelt promise, And don’t be a doubting Thomas… Seek the Truth that makes you free… That’s where you’ll find dazzle candy.  © 2013 TF If God’s love dazzles you, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how: Get Rhyme and Reason delivered to your inbox for free. It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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, The post Metaphors for kids are found in rhyme and reason ground appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

  3. Aug 2

    Caesar Augustus and imagination for just us

    Did you know the month of August was named after Augustus Caesar (or Caesar Augustus if you prefer) and was lengthened to 31 days by Julius Caesar? And did you know that Caesar never ate a Caesar salad because it wasn’t invented until 1924? Well…with that information and a smartphone, you can connect to the internet and even make long distance calls.  ha! Caesar Augustus didn’t decree this, but… I wondered what a month would have to be called if it were named after me. Let’s see, using my nickname, Tony, we might have the month of Tonyary. Or Tonus. Or Tonember. Yeah, I think I like the sound of that last one. Because my birthday is in December. And we could maim two birds with one pickleball racquet with that month. What do you think? Sound good? Here’s a rhyme about it, decreed by yours truly… On August 1 2014 The congress did declare A new month named Tonember To people everywhere. And every person big and small Began to clap and cheer. “Oh we can hardly wait,” they said, Until Tonember’s here. We’ll gather up the chocolate chips And cashews and pecans And bake Tonember cookies Till they’re delicately bronze. We’ll visit friends and family. This year we’ll top the last. Don’t hesitate to celebrate. Tonember, please come fast. © 2014 TF Science shows the earth revolves around the sun. So, scientifically speaking, there’s no such thing as a sunrise. But, when you know you were created by the one, true, living, loving, artful God of all of creation, the sun does rise. A sunrise is a metaphor, an allegory, or even a simile. It’s how your creative mind “sees” things. Either as you’d like them to be, or as they appear to be. In both cases you get a sense of the imagination forged into your spirit. God didn’t have to give you imagination. He could have just designed you to see whatever He wants you to see. And to perceive only things He says are necessary for survival. Yeah, He could’ve created your mind to work just like animals and bugs. But God loves to see what you come up with. Not that silly here-today-gone-tomorrow kind of Hollywood luv. His is a real and enduring love. And your imagination is an intangible proof of His love. You can think with logic and reason. But you can also imagine and create worlds of your own. You can soar into the skies, dive into the depths of the oceans, paint rainbows into the leaves of trees, and even rise above whatever physical limitations you have. So, where will you go… When the sun does rise, And it surely will, We will run straight to The aroma hill. We will pluck one rose From its thorny vine, And refresh our lips With a sip of wine. We will find delight In the sweet bouquet Of this flowered hill… Of this brand new day. It will be a feast For the nose and eyes, And it all begins When the sun does rise.   © 2014 TF If you prefer the God-given gift of imagination over Caesar Augustus, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how: Get Rhyme and Reason delivered to your inbox for free. It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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, The post Caesar Augustus and imagination for just us appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

  4. Jul 25

    Better things to do today to help keep the blues away

    It’s Saturday as I write this. And I hope you have better things to do today than just go shopping or watch TV. Because it’s important, especially with everything going on in the world, to guard your heart and mind. In Philippians 4:8-9 Paul shows you that focus is so important. And I know focus is a buzzword, these days. Because it’s used by motivational speakers, marketing gurus, and so-called influencers. But the focus they talk about almost never helps you to see how the God of peace will be with you. So, I’ll show you one of the better things to do today. But first, picture this in your mind’s eye. From the window in your kitchen you see a sunflower in your front yard. Standing there all alone in the middle of rocks and weeds. Bright and beautiful. So you open up your trusty camera app and snap a quick photo you can share with all your social media friends. But the trouble is they don’t get the full effect. Because they see the rocks and weeds and whatever else shows up in the picture. Now, imagine you take your camera outside, kneel down, and really focus in on the sunflower. And you capture the bright yellow petals with hues of sunset orange blended into interconnecting spirals. Focused in like that you can clearly see the fruit and seeds of the flower. And it’ll help you appreciate that you have a camera with enough pixels to do it justice. Now, when you take this snapshot, you’ll have a picture that really shows off the beauty that caught your eyes. And most likely anyone who sees the picture will notice, even if it’s only subconsciously. All because you just changed the focus. And, just like you focused in on the sunflower, you’ll get a much clearer picture of God’s peace when you focus in on better things. Paul actually used a synonym for “focus” when he wrote a letter to the Philippians. He wrote the word “meditate.” And to meditate on something just means to think deeply and carefully. Then, he shared a focus list. One of the better things you can do today is go over whatever things are: true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, having any virtue, and anything praiseworthy. So, learn to do what you hear and see Paul doing. Because he learned by hearing and seeing what Jesus did. Then, the God of Peace will be with you. That sounds like something I’d like to work on today. How about you? If you wanna focus more like this, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how: Get Rhyme and Reason delivered to your inbox for free. It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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, The post Better things to do today to help keep the blues away appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

  5. Jul 19

    Ice cream man was part of the plan

    American kids, in the middle of the 20th century, used to love the sound of the ice cream man’s truck coming down the street. At least all the kids I knew did. If you’re old enough to remember the 50’s, 60’s, or 70’s (and maybe 80’s), maybe that’s a nice memory for you, too. Yeah, we could hardly wait to flag down the ice cream man in front of our house and get him to open up the back of his truck where the tastebud treats were. My favorite was the drumstick, a waffle cone filled with vanilla ice cream and frozen chocolate and nuts on top. And my second favorite was the frozen milkshake. It came with its own small wooden spoon. And the cup said, “spoon and dip or thaw and sip.” I never sipped. But something else beat everything from the ice cream man. You probably already guessed. Yeah, HOMEMADE! Woo-hoo! Back then mom whisked up some sweet ingredients and gave the creamy, delicious mixture to dad to put in a metal container. Then dad would lower the metal container down into the wooden churning bucket. And he’d lock it in place, surround it with ice, add melting salt on the ice, and start rotating a metal crank. And the (naive) kids got to help. Wow! Does that, or does that not sound like some magical fun? But the real magic happened as the crank got harder and harder to turn. When it really wouldn’t turn much at all anymore, dad (and sometimes us kids) would stop and remove the container. We could hardly wait for the lid to be popped off so we could get some of ice cream in our bellies. Yuh-um! The last week has been a scorcher here on the Emerald Coast (and probably in your area, too). So, I figured I’d just cool you off with some tasty memories and a little… Ice Cream Magic In the back of the freezer in mom’s refrigerator Is a tub of vanilla, and we’re gonna eat it later. It’s ice cream magic and your spoon becomes a wand With some sweet imagination and a black cape donned. Conjure up an ocean of chocolate and strawberries With marshmallow icebergs inhabited by fairies We see popsicle breezes and the rainbow twinkles And there’s Ol’ Man Winter blowin’ cinnamon sprinkles. Look, some rootbeer raindrops and a candy cane straw. No one’s ever gonna think we really saw what we saw. But we’ll forgive their kidding, and our feelings won’t get hurt ‘Cause it was ice cream magic, a very dreamy dessert.  © 2013 TF If you believe ice cream is one of God’s blessings, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how: Get Rhyme and Reason delivered to your inbox for free. It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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, The post Ice cream man was part of the plan appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

  6. Jul 14

    The future does not exist and I simply must insist

    Nope, the future does not exist. But you can still pretty much take some things for granted. Typical things like the sun rising in the East tomorrow morning. But there’s really no guarantee that everything will be the way it’s always been. Just because the future does not exist doesn’t mean nothing does. So, there’s no reason to be upset with me for saying this about the future. I just share it to point out how important it is to get as much learning and understanding as you can. Understanding what makes human beings tic is a key to treating each other better. The future, utopian or dystopian, does not exist today. That’s my point. Matter of fact, I’ll go one giant step further than that. I believe if human beings would learn to enjoy serving one another instead of stealing from and murdering one another, that description you find in the Revelation, at the end of the Bible, wouldn’t have to come true. Nope. I don’t believe, for a second, that our loving Creator decreed all that before the foundation of the world. Yeah, I believe He would love to see it not come to pass. But, will it? It’s kinda like this… Maybe, Maybe Not Will the sun rise in the morning? Will the temperature be hot? Will the sky be blue and sunny? Well, maybe…maybe not. Will the songbirds all be singing? Will the breezes blow a lot? Will the leaves lift up their laughter? Well, maybe…maybe not. Will some words of wisdom visit? Will the books all have a plot? Will we read some happy stories? Well, maybe…maybe not. Will the world go on forever? Will the getting all be got? Will we all be nice to others? Well, maybe…maybe not.  © 2013 TF I challenge you to read that poem to your kids or grandkids. And when you do, by the time you get to the second verse, you can say well, maybe, and point to them. And don’t be surprised if they say maybe not. It’s just a theory I have. Test it out and see if those little rugrats substantiate my theory. If you have a blessed hope for the future, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how: Get Rhyme and Reason delivered to your inbox for free. It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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. The form can be filled in the actual website url. Stay tuned, The post The future does not exist and I simply must insist appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

  7. Jul 7

    Expectant mother expects no other

    When you were conceived, they called your mom an “expectant mother.” But what exactly was she expecting? An apple pie? A new car? New shoes? A phone call? None of the above? Yep, the answer is “none of the above.” An expectant human mother expects a human baby. It’s been that way for all of human existence. So, you would think you wouldn’t have to explain that to anybody anywhere. But millions and millions of abortions all across the world prove that human beings are willfully ignorant on a massive scale. Especially in this age of high resolution ultrasound. It’s gotten so bad that nowadays a lot of people can’t acknowledge that unexpected mother can only give birth to a boy or a girl. No, fools and weirdos like to pretend there are lots of genders. And they angrily demand that we participate in their delusion. Of course, anyone who has received even a small amount of wisdom from God will never join in with that. You and I know that God wrote, in his best selling book of all time, that he made them male and female. And “them” refers to human beings. Plus, he made every one of us unique from everyone else. For example, think about how no one else in the world has the same fingerprints as you. No one else has the same DNA. And those are just two major ways to show how you are… YouNeek OK, look at your fingers, and what do you see? Look at them now, and don’t point them at me. On each of your fingers you have fingertips. Maybe your mom touched hers to your lips. Your fingertips make their very own prints Like no one’s before and no one else since. It’s true of the billions of people on earth. It means you have value. It means you have worth. And something inside you too tiny to see Says you will be you and never be me. It was God who designed it and made it that way. He gave you a code, and it’s called DNA. It controls if your eyes will be brown, green, or blue. It makes you a human, not an odd kangaroo. And under a microscope what do we find? That your DNA makes you into one-of-a-kind. OK, never forget to remember this news There will never be three or even two you’s. And even the voice you use when you speak Will show the whole world you’re truly unique.  © 2013 TF If you agree with why you’re unique, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how: Get my Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional delivered to your inbox for free. It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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. The form can be filled in the actual website url. Stay tuned, The post Expectant mother expects no other appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

  8. Jul 4

    Independence Day 2026 with a song in the mix

    Wow. It’s America’s 250th birthday. And I bet there’s a good chance you get to enjoy an awesome fireworks display wherever you live. I hope you also get to enjoy the company of family and friends and good food and great fun. After all, on Independence Day, 2026 you can actually sing along to Saturday In The Park by the band Chicago, and the lyrics will actually fit. Because Independence Day 2026 falls on a Saturday! I read somewhere that won’t happen again until the year 2037. I haven’t verified that. But it seems plausible. Because I sure don’t remember the last time it happened. And it might only mean something to boomers. But I think it’s cool. Freedom of expression and creativity, the kind we’ve had in America for my whole life, is a big reason why happy, upbeat songs like that ever get written. But most people don’t know that our freedom didn’t start with a declaration of independence from England or a constitution. And that’s why I take at least a moment on 4th of July to thank God for the ultimate freedom He gave us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Yep, without that, I doubt very seriously there’d even be an America that made it to Independence Day 2026. Here’s my song, in a video, about how truly fortunate we are to live in a country whose founding fathers recognized a dependency on our Creator for our ultimate freedom.  Happy and safe Independence Day 2026 to you. I hope and pray there will be more to come. Faith working through love… Let’s praise God for our liberty… Christ paid off our debt… Only in Him are we truly free. (lyrics from Freedom)   © 2010 TF If you enjoy this kind of freedom, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how: Get my Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional delivered to your inbox for free. It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, 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. The form can be filled in the actual website url. Stay tuned, The post Independence Day 2026 with a song in the mix appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

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About

Tony Funderburk is the Rhyme and Reason Christian Author Publisher Podcaster who shares the power of God’s love in every episode. He’s the author and publisher of more than 100 books (and counting) for adults and kids, thousands of articles, and hundreds of songs. Get some free songs, a rhyming book for kids, and more, when you subscribe to Rhyme and Reason, today, at TonyFunderburk.com

Information

  • Creator
    Tony Funderburk
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2026
  • Episodes
    699
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Tony Funderburk 2000-2026
  • Show Website
    Rhyme and Reason