You don’t have to look far to find a financial “guru” who has the solution to your retirement income problems. And they often say your future security depends on your present investments. But the future they talk about is chicken feed. Tiny grains of sand in the amount of time you have ahead of you.

I should make it clear that your total future security does depend on your present investment. But not an investment of your money or other material assets. It depends on where you invest your soul.

Will you sink your soul into the mutual bonds of short-term promises most of the world pursues? Or will you dive into a risk-free joint venture with your Creator.

Oops. I just tossed a monkey wrench into your stock portfolio. But I make no apologies.

Because there’s important. And then there’s crucial.

It’s important what you and I do in this life. No doubt about it. But there’s no real protection. You can’t protect yourself from rainy days any more than you can stop the rain from falling from the sky. But go ahead and save (or invest) for those rainy days. As long as you realize it only helps a little. Just like exercise only helps a little.

But you know what would be a shame? If you invested wisely, made huge profits (and margins), and had plenty of moolah for your so-called “retirement.” What? That doesn’t sound like a shame? Oh wait. I didn’t finish. I left out the part where you enjoyed your retirement and then died and went to hell.

Because one other investment could have been the icing on the cake. The pièce de résistance. The everlasting crown of achievement. And that’s the aforementioned investment of your soul. That’s the only one that lasts.

Have you made that investment? Do you have that sense of future security?

Or maybe you think you’re just headed toward total nothingness. And maybe you think people like me are simpletons who bow down to some invisible nobody.

Of course, you can put your faith in you. At least you’re somebody you can see. And you can put your faith in your way with words, your money manipulation skills, or your physiology.

Yeah, you could be like billions of other people on Earth. Sure, you could trust in self and ignore Truth.

What have you got to lose, besides everything?

I’ll be swallowed up by life

© 2014

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Everybody’s trying to be nicer than God. Even real estate websites like to show off their “LGBT legal protections.” Which, of course, are bigoted policies. And I oppose any ideology that singles out individuals or groups who hate God and give them their own so-called “legal protections.”

What? You’ve never heard of the MJSPBR organization? I’m guessing you have. But you just never heard ’em called that before. Because MJSPBR people don’t identify themselves by their sexual preferences. Gasp! Can such a group actually exist? Yes, Poindexter. And I won’t leave you in the dark. Because this is important…even to you.

And, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to seek out the MJSPBR organization. And grab your free lifetime membership while the limited time offer lasts. You won’t find another body of people in the world as long as you live. Because the owner paid up each and every member’s dues. And you can get that same deal. Guaranteed.

All you gotta do is ask.

What’s that? You’d like to know more about who these MJSPBR people are before you join?

OK. No problem. Would you believe they’re just like you. And they’re quite possibly, literally, all around you and your community. Right now. Yeah, they had to discover, for themselves, all the lasting (dare I say everlasting) benefits of membership. And they had to ask to join, too.

An individual who started the organization in hopes of overcoming the world with graceful love. And an individual who was Manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

I highly recommend you join today. Like I said…limited time offer. When you expire, the offer expires, too. And it will never be available again.

Membership has its rewards. But be warned. Most of the world will do its best to make fun of you, mock you, and create policies designed to shut down the MJSPBR body of members.

But we have legal protections the whole world will never remove.

Trust the Judge, trust the Judge

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Opinions count. Not all of them, of course. But the ones that are tantamount to truth…those count. And, sadly, there are fewer and fewer of those kinds. Because there’s an assault on truth the likes of which America has never seen before. And people who are in rebellion against God attempt to blur facts and figures as often as they stir the synthetic cream into their coffee.

But Truth will not be blurred or squelched forever.

And I’m talking about the Truth that has always been. And always will be. The only Truth that will set you free. The Truth that blots out false knowledge and provides eternal life. Everything else is just idle babblings and contradictions. And those are just small-minded opinions. And…

Jesse says he wants equality; says we’ve got goals to reach.

Danny says he wants respect; says he’s got a job to do.

Everybody’s got one

Scott insists that we evolved; that Darwin proved it years ago.

Every time you know you’re right,

Chorus…inst…chorus to end

© 1989 Tony Funderburk

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I’m a word nerd. And I’m certain I was born that way. So, you need to just love and understand me. And accept me for the identification I choose for myself. OK, now that I’ve gotten that heated rant off my chest…I only brought it up because of an online dictionary. I just got off the Merriam-Webster website where I found the word of the day. And I wasn’t even looking for it.

I was actually there to compare a definition of a word I had just looked up on my computer’s dictionary app. But when I tapped into Merriam-Webster’s site, right there at the top, it said:

No, I’m not kidding. They rhymed their links. And that’s not all. Just a little further down the page, they had a link that said, “Word nerds! Save words plus keep track of all your lookups.”

But why am I making such a big deal out of this? And who cares what a dictionary website says anyway? Right? Well, it’s like your computer and devices know almost as much about you as you know yourself these days. And they serve up stuff you thought you only thought about. And because your mind was already on the subject, you click the links.

It’s digitally freaky is what it is.

Of course, I’m kidding (mostly) about the Merriam-Webster website. Because they’re a dictionary. So, naturally they’d be all about words. Even the word of the day. And words at play. And word nerds.

But there’s a whole lot of that behind-the-scenes “listening” going on. If you think not, then either you don’t have a smartphone or computer connected to the internet, or you just haven’t noticed it yet.

And the “listening” part got me thinking about the difference between human listening and God listening. And that difference boils down to one word.

That word sums up the glory of God and the shortcomings and failures of man.

Because God hears what we humans say, every day, and He still offers the Grace of eternal life to anyone with the humility to ask for it. You and I have done nothing, and never do anything, to deserve it.

But God doesn’t listen to you with an agenda to trip you up or sell you something. He hears with a pure heart. And He wants us to have that, too. So, the only commandment He makes, during this dispensation of time is to love.

Wow, who’d have thunk that my dictionary lookup, of an entirely different word, would lead to this short message about Grace and Love?

No other doctrine or fable, no genealogy

Love.

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Short answer…yes. How do I know this? Because all riches are uncertain riches. In other words, you should never put your trust in your money. No matter how much of it you acquire. Because, I guarantee, it can all be taken away from you in the blink of an eye. And these days it’s easier than ever to do.  

And I know most people who read and listen to what I share already know that. But just in case you’re new to my Rhymes and Reasons, and just in case you don’t know this…you’re gonna exist forever.

But that doesn’t automatically make you immortal.

Far from it. Immortality is life without end. And you can only get that by making the choice to believe and trust in Jesus. Yeah, I know, to most people, that sounds so old-fashioned. So twentieth century Bible thumper. But keep in mind, most people won’t experience eternal life. Because most people care more about what the world thinks of them than what their Creator thinks.

And so you end up with people believing they can build their wealth and somehow become immune to reality. But I bet you could find former rich people in countries like Spain, Greece, and Venezuela who could tell you stories to the contrary.

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.”

And look at how Paul tells Timothy to “command” those who are rich. Wow. That seems a little harsh and intolerant. Right? No. Paul understood (and still understands, by the way) the urgency of the situation. He knew souls were at stake. Lives would be lost or saved by the consequences of decisions.

So, if you’re gonna be rich, be ready to give.

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So, if money is the root of all evil, why aren’t more people willing to give all theirs away? And I mean ALL of it. Because why would you want even a little possibility of evil in your pockets? Or bank accounts? Or city, state, or nation? After all, if you wanna get rid of a weed, you gotta get rid of the root.  

(Quick side note: sadly, too many people ARE willing to allow their money to be stolen by government.)

Wouldn’t that be great? And wouldn’t it make it a lot easier to feel good about having more of it? Yeah. That would be great. But what’s a God loving, patriotic dude to do?

Hey wait!

Maybe there’s something in the Bible about it. I know that’s crazy talk. But I’m gonna go take a look. Keep yourself occupied for a few minutes. And I’ll be back as soon as I can.

Ok, I’m back. Whoa, you’re not gonna believe this. Well, lots of people won’t because it’s from the Bible. But check it out. A direct quote, from the Bible, about money and evil. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

So, it’s actually the LOVE of money. Not the money itself. And it’s “A root” and not THE root. Also, because some people love their moolah, they even stray from faith. And they end up with a lot of sorrows. But none of it is from the money. It’s because they love their riches and their goodies.

Maybe it was because Paul wanted to be sure Timothy was blessed with Godly discernment. Because he also told the younger guy, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.”

And I know Paul had no problem with anyone having plenty of money to live on. But he wanted to be sure we understand not to trust in riches. Because they can be taken away from you faster than you can say, “America will never be a socialist country” and already be wrong.

So, build your house and home

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What advantage do fear and worry give you?

Spoiler. It’s a trick question. Because typical fear and worry, the kind you see all around you right now, give you absolutely no advantage. In business, creative endeavors, or any other part of life for that matter. But maybe you say you just “can’t help it.” With all the doubt and misinformation floating around, what’s a poor, hardworking, taxpaying citizen to do? Well, for starters, don’t take on that silly sounding identity. But I have an even better idea.  

I’ll give you a couple of hints. It ain’t some overgrown, overblown, well-known motivational speaker. And it sure as shootin’ ain’t some so-called “political leader.” Yuck. Makes me nauseous to even put those two words together. And here’s some cold water splashed in the faces of most churchgoers. The best life coach doesn’t stand behind the pulpit in your church. (*Gasp!* This Tony guy’s horrible.)

OK. So those guys aren’t the best. But who is?

“Yeah, Tony, get to the point already.”

Fine. Your best source for understanding, and dealing with your fears and worries is your Creator. In fact, I guarantee, if you’re scared and full of doubt about what’s going on in the world right now, you’re not trusting God. Because He, and His word, are on the total opposite end of the spectrum of fear.

Fact is…when you believe and trust in God, He gives you a spirit of power. And love. And a sound mind. By the way sound, in that context, describes a mind based on reason, sense, or judgment. Full of competence and security. When you feel the opposite of that description, you’ve moved away from, or you’ve forgotten what God says about you.

That doesn’t mean you’re doomed. If it did, you and I and everybody else would be doomed. Instead of throwing your hands up in despair or frustration, turn around and ask God for more wisdom. He loves to give it to those who love Him.

Get Wise

Don’t drink the wine of violence

Don’t push and shove the simple.

A word to the confounded”

Get wise to the deceiver.

Don’t walk, you, with the wicked.

© 1995 Tony Funderburk

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An article popped up on my radar this morning, and I couldn’t help but believe how farfetched it would have sounded just a few short decades ago. The whole piece centered on “acceptable” pronouns we can or can’t use for others. A professor at the University of Toronto prefers to be called “they” instead of he. And the article used nearly 900 words to defend that position. Talk about eye-roll content. Well, the male professor is a man. He is not a she or a they or even an it. Although I’m more tempted to use “it” because of how ridiculous it is to know this guy is an actual “professor”.

And this all relates to why I actually started writing this post today. Because of how many Christians use the wrong pronoun to describe the Church.

There I said it. And that should be enough, right there, to stop using pronouns like “she” and “her” to describe the Church. Sure, I know it’s popular to call the Body of Christ “The Church” these days. And it isn’t wrong. But it’s clearly evident how that neutralizes who the Church is. It is the Body of Christ. And is Christ a woman? (you should be able to immediately and emphatically say “No!”)

I saw a link, from a guy I’m connected to on a social media channel, that led to a YouTube video. The title was “Rethinking Church”. So, I clicked the link and watched the video…which was a repurposed podcast recording. Somewhere in the middle of the recording a glaring contradiction jumped out. The guy was giving a speech or a sermon to a church (he mentioned it was about 10 years ago), and he kept referring to the Church as “she” and “her”.

But then he pointed out how the Church can’t be separated from Christ because He IS the Church all Christians are a part of. We’re all part of His body. If He cannot, and is not supposed to be, separate from the Church, how can the Church be a “she” or a “her”. (bonus points if you wanted to shout “He can’t!” just then)

If you’re a Christian, you know the Bible is God’s word. Right? So, if God expressly says Jesus is a man, we can accept that, no questions asked. Right? And if God says Jesus is His Son, we can know, without a doubt, that God had no daughters. Right? And if God describes Himself as “he” or “him” or “the Man“, there’s no way He can be a “she”. Right?

Right.

Why is this important to you and me?

Because Jesus designed everything. And He made things dependable. He wants us to know how we work and how our world works and how our universe works. You’re not an accident. Not the product of random chance. Time and dirt did not make you. Jesus did. And He wants you to grow and learn…forever. But you can’t do that when even the simplest things perplex you.

Like what pronoun to use for a man or a woman.

Are you uncertain whether a man is a man or a woman is a woman? Or what pronouns to use? Then, you might be in danger of eternal existence apart from your living, loving Creator. If that doesn’t scare you, it should. Because you’ll be a universe of one where you’ll forever wish you had acknowledged you were either a he or a she who trusted Jesus.

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