Rhyme and Reason Tony Funderburk

To see me now, it might be difficult to even imagine I was once considered part of the cool crowd. Not the smoke-dope-drop-ludes-party-till-you-drop crowd. But because I was a full-time musician that so-called “cool crowd” those people figured it was OK to have me around. Even though they discovered it’s difficult to find someone as uncool as me.

But the truth is, it’s preferable to be as uncool as me.

Not for most of the people on the planet, of course. But it IS preferable. Because my uncoolness is a sign I’ve made at least one wise choice in my life.

And that one wise choice was to believe in, trust in, and follow the One who most of the whole world chooses to ignore. The One who’s getting TONS of social media and traditional media coverage this week. Yeah, I’m talking about the ONLY One (not Neo) who can save you from, and dissolve, this matrix world.

This weekend marks the umpteenth time believers have acknowledged what Jesus did approximately 2000 years ago. And if you’re as uncool as me, it gives you chill bumps to imagine how eternity with Him will be.

I hope you’ve gotten your boarding pass to Heaven. It won’t cost you anything but humble heart. Because it’s already been paid for by the One who Resurrection Day is all about. If you don’t already have your ticket, don’t waste another minute. The train is about ready to leave the station. Don’t be left behind singin’ the song of…

The Uncool Fool

Every day seems a little bit shorter

And there never seems to be enough time.

Everyone is lookin’ for a reason,

So, I’ll tell you, it’s inside of this rhyme.

Every life plays a part in this journey,

Starting way down in a singular cell.

If you don’t have a clue what your part is,

Ask the only one who knows you so well.

Why am I here?

What should I do?

Why do I play the uncool fool, blindsided by the golden rule?

Where is my peace,

Long overdue?

These thoughts in my head are so cruel, bombarded by the uncool fool.

Every time you believe that you’re smarter

Take the mask off and then open your eyes.

You might have lots of facts in your head, but

Ask yourself these things and see if you’re wise.

Why am I here?

What should I do?

Why do I play the uncool fool, blindsided by the golden rule?

Where is my peace,

Long overdue?

These thoughts in my head are so cruel, bombarded by the uncool fool.

© 2024

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Forgiveness without repentance is selfish and unwise.

How’s that for an opener?

But I only said it because it’s true.

Forgiveness without repentance kills dogs. Not just people.

Yeah, if you won’t apply the proper way to forgive, to and for you, won’t you at least save the little puppies. And before you think I’ve gone completely bonkers, let me show you an example of how this claim is true. But not just any old random example. No, this actually happened to some people Elgielene and I know.

Yesterday, she got a text message from a friend who basically said something like, “Call me when you can. Something tragic has happened.”

Naturally, as you might imagine, that sparked our curiosity. And we hoped it wouldn’t be a message this friend’s husband had died. Or something awful like that.

And the reason our first guess went to the friend’s husband is because he works for the sheriff’s department in the county where he lives. So, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to think something awful might’ve happened to him in the line of duty.

As it turns out, you could say something DID happen to him in the line of duty.

But not his typical county sheriff’s duty.

No, he simply took the family dog, a cute little rescue dog named Lily, out for her morning constitutional. As he walked her down the street, he noticed a guy far down the block eyeballing him in a strange way. Of course, being in the police force, he’s more tuned in to strange behavior than most. But he kept moving along, slowly, as Lily sniffed and did her doggie stuff.

Suddenly, the guy down the block jumped into his car, peeled out of the driveway, turned in the direction of our friend and his dog, and peeled out again. He flew by the first time. But he screeched to a stop at the other end of the block, did a loud turn around, and flew by our friend and his dog again.

Of course, now our friend was on full alert. But, in situations as unpredictable as that, it’s not clear what to prepare for or avoid. Sure enough, the wackadoo spun his car around and headed right back at our friend and little Lily one more time.

But this time, the creep turned his car right at them. And our friend jumped off the sidewalk into a wooden fence, while, at the same time, trying to grab Lily. Unfortunately the driver was upon them so fast he scraped across our friend’s left arm and leg. And the force of that impact, which caused some serious injuries to our friend, knocked off the creep’s mirror. But worse than that, Lily was literally flattened.

This all took place a couple of weeks ago.

But the horrible vehicular murder attempt was only the beginning of our friends’ troubles. Because, now, they’re discovering, firsthand, how America no longer has a justice system. Now, it’s JUST A SYSTEM.

And they’re mired in a legal battle to punish a guy who has already been “forgiven” of several previous devious deeds. Yep. Those forgiven deeds, which required no repentance or remorse from the perpetrator, directly led to our friends’ dead dog. You can see it another way, if you choose to, but only if you’re comfortable with being wrong.

Yes, there are so-called “lawyers” working to get the scumbag driver cleared of all charges.

Uh-huh. They’re working to see that he’s not punished. And unpunished crimes ALWAYS lead to more criminals.

Our “open” border with Mexico is a daily illustration of that fact. But, no big deal right? Who cares?

OK, there are a lot of people who would say I talk a mean streak about the problems, but I don’t offer viable solutions. Of course, those are people who never read or hear solutions I’ve written and spoken about. But, to them,

I don’t fly the unfriendly skies anymore. Because I don’t wanna be stuck in an unsanitary tube, soaring through the air at 35000 feet up, with a passenger list that includes people who hate each other and God.

But, hey, that’s probably just me.

Anyway…

Here’s why I bring up my aversion to airline travel (the same is true for just about any mass transit).

Whatever happens in this world is temporary. When you know you’re gonna live forever with the one, true, living, loving Creator of heaven and earth, you should be able to trust Him and be of good cheer. One day you’ll leave this world full of hardships and filthiness and live forever in a real paradise. And it won’t be some Hollywood, make-believe, physics-defying world of mystical magic. It’ll be a real place with real human beings and real surroundings.

And most importantly, the real God.

Wait. You ARE going. Right?

Please tell me your name is already on the passenger list?

Because your ticket has already been paid for and all you gotta do is sign your name, so to speak. Yeah, you definitely need to confirm you wanna make the trip. And all it takes is humility. If you wanna know more about it, I’ll be glad to share whatever I can to help. Because I’d sure like to see you, one day, in that…

Real Paradise

I don’t believe

In magic…hocus pocus.

I do believe

My treasure’s where I focus.

Jesus, Redeemer, Creator of Heaven

Tells every dear Christian who dies…

We will be with him forever and ever.

Now I call that real paradise.

You can receive

A blessing you can’t pay for.

What would you waste

Another single day for?

Jesus, the Savior, and Great Overcomer

Will love you and open your eyes.

There is no sin that His blood will not cover.

Now, I call that real paradise.

Instrumental…

I love the way His promise won’t forsake me.

And there’s no end to where His Grace will take me.

Jesus, the Lamb, without spot without blemish,

The Truth who the world still denies.

The world is against me, but Jesus is for me.

Now I call that real paradise.

© 2001-2009

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This dreadful message is dark. Too dark for the front page news and prime time. So, you won’t see or hear it unless you tune into channels where people share the truth even when it’s unpopular. I’ve shared that kind of truth for decades. And I haven’t enjoyed even one day of it. Not even before I lost most of my “friends” because I dared to speak up this way.

Thankfully, these days, I can create my own front page news.

Of course, my humble publication is far from a worldwide phenomenon. But it CAN be seen and heard worldwide. At least for now. And I can see, with the help of analytics software, that my posts and podcast episodes are seen and heard by a lot of people in parts of the world I’ll never visit.

And here’s the reason I bring it up. Because, after almost 60 years, there’s still a killing spree going on right here in America (and around the world), and the vast majority of human beings couldn’t care less.

If someone took a so-called “assault weapon” into crowded areas and killed over 1000 people a day, don’t you think they’d be front page news? They’d be top story on every TV “news” channel. And their face would be plastered on every media around the world. Especially if the “news” organization could spin the story into some sort of white and right wing connection.

Of course, if someone could kill that many innocent bystanders, their evil face SHOULD be known to all.

But that sort of killing spree DOES take place every day here in America.

And only “right-wing extremists” like me seem to be willing to tell the story.

But I gotta tell you something about me. I Hate, with a capital H, to tell this story. Because it exposes the awful truth about my country. And I love America. But America has gone the way of every other powerful nation or empire in history. We’re no longer the bright, beacon of hope to a wayward world.

I wrote a song about this back in 2002. It’s not an upbeat song. It’s not an anthem. And it’s not a song that’ll ever get any “airplay” or streaming time. But I wanted to write a song about this dark side of our culture in a way that maybe gave the story some humanity. You can let me know if you think it does that.

Side note: the song mentions 40 years. Sadly, another 20 years has been added. Wouldn’t it be awesome to wake up to this front page news, tomorrow? “Legalized Abortion Abolished”

Killin’ Spree

Way down along the river,

Beneath a willow tree,

An awful sight in the damp twilight,

They found the boy named Lee.

His mother can’t believe it.

His father can’t be found.

There’s his battered face, and his dying place

On that muddy Georgia ground.

Been forty years in this killin’ spree…

It’ll lead to ruin…the undoin’ of you and me.

If it weren’t for Jesus, Grace, and Mercy,

We’d all be found guilty…in this killin’ spree!

Inside a broken promise

There lives a shattered dream.

A young girl stands with cradled hands.

Her tears become a stream.

With no one there beside her

She walks in through the door.

She cannot smile or reconcile

Why her heart can feel no more.

chorus

Where we gonna go?

What we gonna do?

And who can we depend on?

Can you tell me who?

Random thoughts and deeds…

And random source of life…

Random is the bride we take

Who becomes a cheating wife.

© 2002

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Before I get into what a mess you are, let me first say Happy Super Tuesday. I have no clue what that means. But apparently there’s some holiday being celebrated, and that’s what they call it. Now, where was I? Oh yeah. You’re a mess. I know you are. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. And I know it because it’s a human condition. Bad choices. And a strong tendency toward selfishness. Trouble is, there’s no cure for it. Because, as a whole, humans don’t learn from their mistakes. We don’t know our history. So, we’re probably doomed to repeat it.

So, here are 3 ways I know this beyond a shadow of a doubt.

1. Truth: Control freaks cast shadows on the truth. Truth is their mortal enemy. So they have to pound out lies, with consistent resolve, until the truth becomes nothing more than a cloudy concept. Truth becomes “whatever you make of it.” Or whatever is “right in their own minds.” Nazis believed all you need to do to twist a lie into the truth is tell one that’s “big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually become to believe it.” Of course, that happens all around you, everywhere, every day. All you gotta do is pay attention.

2. Morality: This is another area under constant attack by those who want to justify their behavior. When you reduce right and wrong to whatever is “right in their own minds,” you produce a culture where anything goes. Then everything goes…out the window. Who knows where that might lead? You might even find adults killing babies. Well, at least that couldn’t happen here in America. Right? So, let’s don’t think about that. Let’s go shopping.

3. Property: Once people realized they could vote the money away from the wealthy and into their own pockets, then the proverbial (and political) genie was out of the bottle. So, politicians run for office (and win) using promises based on redistribution of wealth. It’s not just wrong. It’s evil. Because it destroys lives. But who cares, right? It’s just the way things are. The status quo. I’m gonna get mine as long as the gettin’s good. Ok, where do we sign up?

Well, here’s what I think about it. Beyond a shadow of a doubt…

Nothin’s Sacred Anymore

Take the truth and lock it up, and throw away the key

Winds of change are blowing foul; a dance with destiny

Blur the face of love and sex and say it’s all OK

Tell the child it’s just a choice and melt her soul away

Nothin’s sacred anymore.

Can’t we learn from mistakes when they cut to the core.

Nothin’s sacred anymore.

And should we be surprised since we’ve opened that dark, wide door?

Nothin’s sacred anymore.

Cast your vote for social growth and then say yes to law

Keep the peace, divide the wealth; the vision Adolph saw

Hedge the bets and ride the fence; the middle road’s secure

Then one day you’re head to head with all you must endure

Nothin’s sacred anymore.

Can’t we learn from mistakes when they cut to the core.

Nothin’s sacred anymore.

And should we be surprised since we’ve opened that dark, wide door?

Nothin’s sacred anymore.

More! More space and time. More would be sublime.

Someone else can pay long as I get mine today.

Ain’t nothin’ sacred anymore.

© 2002

(lyrics and song found in one of my songbook journals on Amazon)

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So. There’s this little protoplanet named “Vesta.” And, as it churns out, little Vesta might have some clues as to how life on Earth might have formed? Yeah, scientists discovered some areas of impact on the “minor planet” that seem to show “collisions with carbon rich asteroids.” And of course, they emphasize that carbon is the essential building block to all life on earth, from single cell to human.

All that information on a little protoplanet.

But what, in the universe, is a protoplanet? Well, there’s this (lying) definition you can easily find online:

“A large body of matter in orbit around the sun or a star and thought to be developing into a planet – This analysis supported the view that the moon originated from a glancing collision between the earth and another protoplanet 4,500 million years ago.”

But don’t listen to stupid descriptions and definitions like that. Because they just love to bandy humongous numbers around in order to eliminate the possibility of a Creator or Designer of the universe and life. After all, there’s no evidence, of any kind whatsoever, that planets and/or protoplanets existed 4500 million years ago. Because there’s no evidence, of any kind whatsoever, that material things (aka: matter) existed then.

And yet, there’s oodles and oodles (words to describe numbers even bigger than millions) of evidence to suggest that Earth came into existence only thousands of years ago. No, you don’t have to look at any of that evidence. You can choose to totally ignore it ALL. But I suggest you consider the consequences of that choice.

Here’s a little roundabout explanation for why I say that:

When a human being dies, the same carbon that was there before death is still there. Yeah, all the ingredients, so to speak, are contained in that dead body.

So it’s one of those things that should make you go, “hmm.”

Why is there no life in that remaining carbon? Because, if it’s the essential building block of all life on Earth, why does a carbon-rich body die?

I’m not a scientist…and I don’t play one on TV. And I’m not a physicist or alchemist or biologist. I’m just a humble Rhyme and Reason guy. A guy who probably contains as much carbon as anyone in those other professions. And I’m a guy, who, like everyone else, has a time limit for my LIFE here on earth.

But if and when my time to die arrives, my carbon will still be here. So my life did not arise from or depend on carbon. And real science shows the enormity of complexity in human DNA. The code in a single human cell fills volumes of information.

You have your own unique DNA. Everyone does. My finite mind can barely apprehend (and certainly not comprehend) the almost infinite implications of that. But I can say this without hesitation. DNA clearly shows we’re information based.

Not carbon.

It’s sort of like this: my computer is a cool looking device. But without the information in the software, it’s just an intricately designed, shapely piece of aluminum. It’s “lifeless.” And no amount of added aluminum will ever get it to calculate, punctuate, or create a single image, sentence, or sound without help from life and information based people.

I wish scientists who trust in carbon could get real and approach life from the information base. I believe they’d be better equipped to process that information and build a much better understanding of life, love, and design. And they wouldn’t be looking for reasons why we exist on a protoplanet.

Yeah, they might even develop a trust in the Designer.

Hey, a guy can wish, can’t he?

Here we stand