Articles that reference the book of 2 Timothy

I’ve shared the story before how my younger brother and I lived with my grandparents, my dad’s parents, for a little while. This was way back closer to the middle of the last century. In Norman, Oklahoma. And my parents were getting divorced. So my dad made sure my brother and I had a stable home to stay in while they went through the process. And that’s where I first learned about peach preserves, as well as other kinds of fruit preserves.

Because I’m a peachy kinda guy. OK, that’s not the real reason. True, but not the real reason. The real reason I remember, peach preserves, even more than the rest is because of my Grandmother’s peach cobbler and a little story she and I share.

One time, as she was making one of her peach cobblers from scratch, she gave me one of the peach pits. And she told me to open it up and find the seed. Being the highly curious five year-old boy I was, I did that. I remember thinking how the pit felt like wood. And it even had sort of a crisscross lattice look. So, I was certainly surprised to find a somewhat soft seed inside the “wooden” pit.

“Grandmother,” I blurted out. “Look! I found it!”

“Do you know what that seed can turn into?” she asked.

“No. What?” I replied.

She said, “Take this old spoon outside and dig a small hole and plant that seed inside it and then cover it up with the dirt.”

And that was that. At least that’s all there was to it for almost another 20 years. But it was about that many years that I was back at their house as an adult, with a lot of extended family, celebrating my grandparents 50th anniversary. And you know how it goes. The three sons, one of which was my dad, brought the families, and each family brought some goodies. So, plenty of good food, relative, seeing each other for the first time in a while, and one particularly delightful treat for me.

Right there on the kitchen counter was a cobbler made with homemade peach preserves.

As I was serving up a slice for myself, Grandmother came in and asked me how I liked it. Of course, I said I loved it. And she said, “Would you believe I got the peaches from that tree right out there in the yard where you planted a seed when you were a little boy?”

I thought that was so cool. Still do. And I doubt that I’ll ever forget that story. What brought it to mind for me today was a line from the second letter. Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy. It made me think about what God does that. Nobody deserves. He sort of makes us into some peachy preserves. Here’s the line from Paul’s letter:

And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.

That’s what I wish for you and me today. And here’s some more of…

There are people of the past

We don’t wanna hear it.

Oh, I wish our world was better.
I wish our world was fair.
I wish we’d get together

There are innocent children

We don’t want to hear it.

Oh, I wish our world was better.
>I wish our world was fair.
>I wish we’d get together

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.

The form can be filled in the actual website url.

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Who wants to listen to (much less, sing) a bunch of  old songs with a bunch of thee’s, thy’s, and thou’s? I mean, not only is that stuff not cool, it just sounds weird. Yeah, the old hymns lyrics say stuff that nobody even understands anymore. Right?

Most of the old hymns lyrics talk about a living, loving Father who shows compassion to all who ask for it. As this example from the song, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, shows. It’s the second verse in most hymnals (and, yes, I know that’s an uncool thing to talk about, too). Here’s the verse:

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Those lyrics simply show how the almost endless, observable forces of nature and the universe show God’s mercy and love.

And the first verse of the song expresses the hope you can have for each new morning. The hope which can only come from this God. He provides, and has always provided, everything you need.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

That’s what I call ’em. Thy, thee, thou, thine. But you can basically just change them all to some form of you or your. And then the meaning is clear.

Side note: when those lyrics say “thou changest not,” they allude to God’s nature. He’s always been, is now, and always will be good, living, loving, personal, and relational. But He has also changed over the course of time. A LOT. And all for your sake. And mine.

Your Creator has made an everlasting pardon for your many terrible mistakes available to anyone who asks Him. Anyone who asks with genuine repentance that is. And when you do, you’ll receive the peace that endures forever. Because you’ll receive the Spirit of everlasting Life from Jesus. That message comes through in another verse from the song:

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Remember this…God doesn’t give you a spirit of fear. He gave you a “spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind“. If you’re not experiencing the strength and hope for a bright tomorrow, it’s most likely because you’re still depending on yourself or your things or something worse. My recommendation is that you don’t have faith in YOUR faith. Have faith in His. As the old hymn’s lyrics say:

Great is Thy faithfulness!

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Fires burn down beautiful places. Volcanoes erupt and destroy communities. Hurricanes blast entire cities. Tornadoes uproot even the heartiest of trees. Mudslides annihilate peaceful homes that were minding their own business. And through it all the Earth remains.

And it’ll remain through this coming cold winter.

So, you can fear what might happen, if you wanna. But I’m just not gonna join you in that whole fear thing. For one, it’s totally counter-productive. And, oh yeah, God says “fear not.” And “worry not.”

A few years ago I shared this about that:

Fact is…when you believe and trust in God, He gives you a spirit of power. And love. And a sound mind. That’s 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.

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

And remember His promise about this planet we call home. “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” Only the fool complains about it.

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

God’s promises are better than gold and rubies. Grab ’em while you can.

Stay tuned,

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I’ve talked about the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting and producing team before when I shared some info about The Supremes and their hit song, “I Hear A Symphony.” And they had another hit, 60 years ago this month, with the song, “Heat Wave,” performed by Martha and the Vandellas. Martha’s version was a number 1 hit. Then, Linda Rondstat had a number 5 hit with the same song 12 years later. Even Phil Collins had a hit with it.

Some critics might say it’s “infectious.” Reviews might call it a “danceable rock-a-twister.” But the main thing is, it’s an upbeat dance song about some of the effects of love.

But here we are 60 years later. And now a heat wave is an ominous and potentially world-changing (maybe even world-ending) event.

Sometimes I open my digital tablet and then open the “News” app. I don’t do it ALL the time. Because the basic news, weather, and sports are so predictable and mostly non-believable. But today I saw a headline that read: “Heat Wave Spanning From Florida To California Prompts Urgent Warnings.”

In case you didn’t already know this Florida is on the Eastern edge of America. And California is all the way on the opposite, Western, edge of America. So, right away, (if that info is familiar to you) you understand this truly IS an urgent matter. Because we’re talking about our entire country here.

And it follows up the headline with plenty of information to get your antennae up and your heart racing. The opening sentence says: “An expanding, intensifying heat wave prompted the National Weather Service to issue heat alerts for 115 million people on Friday in 15 states, with no letup in sight for some areas.”

Oh no!

115 million people! That’s a third of all the citizens in America. And the point is, it’s HOT! With no “letup in sight.” (uh, hang on, there’s still gonna be a September, October, etc. this year) But let’s not muddy the fear waters with actual provable facts. Because we’ve got a populace to control. And fear is the best tool for that.

So, let’s talk about the “public health dangers.” And the “scope, intensity, and endurance” of this hot weather. Plus, we need to get the “alerts” about where the “longest-lasting impacts” of this “heat dome” will occur.

But maybe I’m not being fair.

Maybe the weather services just have our best interests at heart.

So, maybe they just want you to have all the facts so you can make good decisions while your brain is frying. And maybe that’s why they say things like: “Heat waves can be extremely deadly.” And “Heat waves are quiet killers, with deaths often going uncounted until well after an extreme weather event has subsided.”

But so can aging, boating, camping, driving, gambling, gardening, hiking, recreational marijuana, a sedentary lifestyle, and sports. Yeah, pretty much all you have to do, in order to one day die, is exist in the first place.

Here’s the kicker to the “weather report” I read.

They had to toss this in: “…using peer-reviewed methods, from Climate Central shows climate change is likely boosting the odds for the upcoming extreme heat.”

And they add these guilt-loaded bullet points to make sure you’re aware that YOU are the problem:

I hope you realize there’s no such thing as “fossil fuels.” And I also hope you realize that volcanos spew more into the atmosphere than all the “human-caused emissions.”

But if those reports truly care about your safety, then it shouldn’t be long before they warn everyone to stop growing pot. Yeah, according to some estimates, growing an ounce of pot indoors can emit as much carbon as burning a full tank of gas. “Hey, somebody shut this guy up. He’s trying to take away our natural medicine.”

And you probably realize that a “spirit of fear” comes from a dark place. Because God gives a “spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

So, you probably know that when it’s extra hot outside, you reduce your energetic outdoor activities. And you wait till Autumn before you ramp things up again. The same is true for the cold, dark winters. Wait for Spring.

And the next time someone tells you Earth is heating up, just ask, “Since when?” Don’t buy the lie of climate change. Because it’s YOU “they” truly want to reduce.

When the Truth is revealed, it transforms

Stay tuned,

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The first century Christians were committed to one another. Christians today? Not so much. Sure, there are small cliques. But, as a whole, it’s a divided faith. And splintered, sometimes, by just the meaning of a single verse. Or even a single word. Want an example?

I just scanned an article with this title: “Which denomination tithes the most?”

And that, inadvertently, addresses a big part of the issue. Because human nature seeks to “be number one.” And that includes the giving department. So, the article shared lots of demographics from a 10 day study of denominations. How ’bout I share just a few snippets?

“Eighty percent of people who attend a worship service at least four times a month agreed that tithing is a biblical commandment compared to 72% of respondents who attend a worship service one to three times a month.”

Hmm. Wonder how many tithing messages the first group hears as opposed to the second group.

Here’s an age-related stat. 66% of young adult respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 were less likely to believe tithing is a Biblical commandment. And I think that’s interesting. Because tithing IS undeniably a commandment (or law) found in the Bible. But it’s crucial to understand where it’s found and why.

Before I share that, it’s important to know (if you don’t) that tithe means a tenth. And that’s the command God handed down to the Jews. To give a tenth of all they had.

So, on that note, notice what Christians today, and even many of those Jews, do and did.

“Thirty-one percent told pollsters they give a tithe and 19% said they give more than 10% of their income. Meanwhile, 16% said they donate less than 10% of their income to their church. Nine percent of respondents reported that their financial situation makes it difficult to give, and 2% said that they did not give.”

Yeah, if God says give a tenth, then I should give more. Because, well, because I say so. And if it feels good to me, then I’m sure God will be even more impressed with me. Or at least other people will once I’ve informed them that I give even more than God says.

I know, from personal experience, that Christians boast about giving their tithe AND even more. Because benevolence should be spotlighted. Right? Wait. Wasn’t there a left hand right hand thing?

Now, I would never urge you to believe what I say just because I’m a trustworthy guy. I believe I am, but I’m not the authority. You find that in the Bible. And if it says “the law kills” and that the Grace of God is “not of works” (which includes the tithe), then that’s the truth. My goal is to agree with it. And to keep “rightly dividing the word of truth.” And I urge Christians today (you and me) to…

If you take a stand and you stand for the Way,

Angels are gonna rejoice,

If you take a stand and you stand for the Truth,

All eyes are gonna look up.

If you take a stand and you stand for Life,

© 2008

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Yes, God does have a plan. A MasterPlan. But He most definitely does not have a plan for your day. As I’ve said many times…He’s far too brilliant a designer than to create a bunch of humans who can’t do anything apart from Him. So, if you’ve been one of those Christians who says things like, “I’ve just got to remember, God’s in control,” stop that. And if you tend to say, “We gotta remember, it’s all part of God’s plan,” stop that.

Stop today. Right now…if not sooner. And never say those things again.

But not because I tell you to stop. Don’t say those things because they go directly against what Jesus says. And He says at least 3 times in the New Testament, that He is NOT in control of this world. And that should be abundantly clear. Because the evidence He’s not in control of this world is ubiquitous.

All the despicable, horrible, terrible events and sins in the world do not originate in the mind of God. Never did. And never will. And to say that everything is “part of God’s plan” is to say they DO originate from Him.

So, again, if you have that BAD habit, stop saying that! Or if you know someone else who has that bad habit, make it clear to them it’s a horrible habit. It borders on (or it actually IS) blasphemy.

And yes, He will one day take back control of this world. But, it should be MCT brainpower clear how that day has not arrived. And it should be MCT brainpower clear who IS in control of this world.

Sinners who hate God. From satan, all the way down (so to speak) to the lowest of the lowly God haters. Yeah, they ARE in control, somewhat. And they hope to find a way to rule it over everyone else. Forever.

But that won’t happen. Because even though the Body of Christ has gotten weaker and weaker, we still win. And that’s only because we chose wisely. We at least had enough sense to do that correctly.

So, I hope it’s also abundantly clear where I stand on that whole “God’s in control” nonsense. And I take that stand because of what God says, many times, in His best-selling book. If you believe I’m wrong, I believe you haven’t read it with the mindset to rightly divide the word of Truth.

We will set up our banners

In the name of our LORD…

We will learn from His whole Word

© 2010 Tony Funderburk

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It’s funny (not ha-ha funny) how people with the worst possible ideas always want everybody else to have open minds. Have you ever noticed that? And cheaters tend to want everybody to get along and “unify” once they get “in charge.” But those supposedly open-minded deceivers never seem to think any of that applies to them. Or at least that’s how they live out their worldview.

And dishonorable people can turn those minds into buckets of rotting ideas that lead to an eternal, tormented existence. Sounds like a lotta fun, right?

You’ve probably seen some of this playing out in the exciting, lovable world of politics. Some guy named Joe claims to be the upcoming American president. And apparently he’s been in some sort of political office for the past 48 years. And when you look into his history, with an open mind, you discover he’s a liar and a cheater.

What?!

That can’t be true. Because, how in the world could a liar and a cheater be elected to the highest office in America? Americans wouldn’t stand for that. Because…well…we’re Americans, dagnabbit.

And if there’s anything you can trust, it’s gotta be the American system. I mean, who can forget that gallant motto: Truth, Justice, and the American Way? Oh wait…that’s Superman.

And if that’s how we could still look at America, that would be super, man.

But too many years of mushy, open minds being filled with lies, brought us to this point where people absolutely will not see truth even when it’s recorded. And they absolutely WILL believe the most despicable, life-destroying lies. And even vote for the very people who will deliver them into a life of unrelenting tyranny.

So, my suggestion is to have an open mind

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Who doesn’t like to break stuff for fun? C’mon, admit it. And if you could make a six figure income just for breaking stuff, wouldn’t you have the perfect job? But who wants a job you gotta show up for when you can break stuff any time, day or night (especially night) without clocking in anywhere?  

When I hear people say the Bible is just a dusty, old, irrelevant book, I know they haven’t read it. Because there’s no book on Earth more relevant. Particularly nowadays when people are getting meaner and meaner.

Tell me if any of these descriptions of people fit anything you’ve seen or read in the news lately.

Yeah, you don’t have to look very long before you see news stories and videos of those kinds of people. Maybe you even know some, personally. And every one of those descriptions came right out of the Bible. They’re in a letter Paul wrote to Timothy. He was talking about the “last days.” I’m not saying right now we’re in the last days. But you gotta admit, we appear to be heading there.

And, ironically, have you noticed how lawbreakers especially like to do their deeds at night. Hmm…that’s another point where the “irrelevant” Bible gets it right. And it says how men “loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” (By the way, that’s true for women, too.)

Duh! Give up of course.

After all, what can you do? Because if you start spouting off teachings from the “irrelevant” Bible, you’re just an old-fashioned, out of touch fool. And you’re grossly outnumbered. So, why would anybody listen to you?

On the other hand, you could remember to “continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them…” And you should remember God’s word is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith…”

So, before you give up, look up.

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Back in days of musicians getting paid like they were actually providing a good service, I used to sing that song. A Bob Marley song called, Stir It Up. And it was real crowd pleaser. Other songs of his were, too. Jammin’ – Is This Love – No Woman No Cry – and the list goes on. The cool reggae beats, the easy lyrics. What’s not to like? Unless you don’t like reggae, of course. (say it isn’t so) And I can still belt ’em out by the way. If and when I’m stirred up enough. (slight pun intended)  

I’m talking about your gift. You know, that special something you have. And don’t tell me you don’t know what it is. Because you do, right? And I know you do because that gift comes from God. He wants you and me to be able to do wonderful things. Especially if we remember Him and mention Him when we do. And that’s not too much to ask, is it?

A lot of Christians, me included, like to spread the message found in 2 Timothy 1:7. And it’s a great message. Because it reminds you how God gave you a powerful brain and love. Plus, it helps you see any fear you might have didn’t come from Him. Great thought tools.

But just one verse before 2 Timothy 1:7 is another reminder. And it’s Paul reminding Timothy (and us) to take action. Paul says “to stir up the gift of God which is in you.” Yeah, you gotta stir it up.

And the Bible is replete with verses and chapters where God encourages and even requires us to take action. He created us with wonderful, powerful brains. And He loves to see what we can do with them and His help.

But God didn’t build automaton robots. You and I are sentient beings with one amazing gift in common. An independent will. In other words, you can choose to use your brain. And you can choose to love. Or you can choose to ignore it all. But God didn’t predetermine whether you would or wouldn’t. He took a risk.

Because you and I can choose…and because we live in a broken, fallen world…we make a lot of bad choices. I know I have. And, if you’re honest, you know you have, too.

So, it’s crucial to lean on the infinite wisdom of your Creator instead of your own. And that choice will help you “stir up the gift of God” in you. But what if you don’t know what your gift is? And how do you stir it up?

Well, if you’re a Christian, I encourage you to go through Paul’s writings in the New Testament. Just in case you didn’t already know this…Paul is the only apostle to the gentiles. In other words, everyone who isn’t a Jew. And that probably describes you. Right?

I dare you to read Paul’s writings and not feel something stirred up inside you. See what he went through just to share the incredible message, and gift of Grace, paid for by Jesus. Read Paul’s letters with your powerful brain open to amazing grace and love.

Power and love and a well built brain

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The underlying theme to everything I do, here in the TonyFunderburk.com galaxy, is Rhyme and Reason. To put it simply, I like to use my poetic power to share logic and reason. For life. Love. And for a solid, eternal perspective.

I’m not an infallible person. And I don’t play one on TV. But it’s still possible for me to be 100 percent correct. Not 100 percent of the time. But I can be totally confident (and so can you, by the way) I’m right…as long as I agree with what God says about it.

Oh no. There comes that whole ” the Bible is open to interpretation”problem. Yeah…unless you take some time to learn how to rightly divide the word of Truth. It’s amazing how clear your perspective becomes when you know who said what. And to whom.

As you go about your business, today, I’d like you to take at least a moment or two to ponder how you even got here. Think about how important life is. And it’s not just about what you gain. It’s also about what you’re willing to give up.

I wanna write a song, today,

© 2020 Tony Funderburk

And remember, life has Rhyme and Reason because God made you,

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