It’s not impossible. Although sometimes it can certainly feel that way. And you definitely don’t have to accept it if you don’t want it. So, think it over before you accept or reject your secret mission. Because the fate of the world is in your hands.

But it DOES have some immeasurable consequences for YOU.

So, what do you say, Ethan? Does this sound like a secret mission you’re willing to accept? Keep in mind, the “Secretary” will disavow any knowledge of you if you’re caught. But that’s no big deal compared to when your Creator disavows you. “I never knew you” are words you never wanna hear.

OK, enough with the Mission Impossible references. But one last comment on that subject. I think Tom Cruise, and his team, did an excellent job of serializing the last two installments of those movies. I’m very interested to see “Dead Reckoning: Part 2.” How ’bout you?

Anyway…

None of that truly has anything to do with why or what I’m sharing with you this time. The following four verses, in a rhyme/poem called “Secret Mission” was started sometime last year. And as I spent some time clearing my computer’s desktop this week, I found the first two verses in an unfinished Pages document.

So, I made it my mission, this morning, to finish it. And my motivation for sharing it with you, today, is that I hope it helps motivate you to share God’s love with someone else as soon as you get a chance. If so, here’s your…

In the first ray of light there was a message

There were no dots or dashes or impulses.

Then a voice, filled with thunder, in a whirlwind,

I appeal, with an urgency of purpose,

© 2024 Tony Funderburk

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Guy walks up to the bar and orders, “Gimme a Helix, bartender. And make it a double.” I know you’ve heard of the Double Helix. It packs a powerful punch. But there’s no hangover the next morning. Maybe that’s because it’s filled with Deoxyribonucleic Acid.

That’s such a tongue-twisting mouthful. Surely, there’s a quicker way to say it. Hmm. I kinda like DNA. What say we go with that? All in favor? Great! The eyes have it (yes, I meant to say “eyes”).

Alright, let’s get your mind out of the bar for a minute or two. And let’s talk about how DNA is scientific proof you and I are fearfully and wonderfully made by the one, true, living, loving God of creation. Not merely carbon copies of carbon lifeforms. Even the term “carbon lifeforms” contradicts itself. But, right now I’m gonna share some tidbits of information about information I shared several years ago. It bears repeating. Because it’s inside you right now.

In almost all of the 30,000,000,000,000 (that’s trillion, by the way) cells in your body there are duplicate copies of your DNA. Each human cell contains 46 segments. You got 23 segments from your mom and 23 from your dad. No one else on Earth has the same DNA as you. Cool, huh? Well, here’s something even cooler.

All that information in your DNA is a blueprint for how to build the one and only YOU.  The blueprint contains the information on how you’ll look, much of how you’ll act, and how every cell in your body will function during your life.

That’s mighty impressive. But, how about this?

The information found in your DNA could fill the Grand Canyon almost 30 times, if you put it in books. And yet…you could take one set of DNA from one cell of every person who ever lived, put them all in a spoon, and they’d weigh less than an aspirin.

So, how could anyone actually THINK about the complex information inside us and not believe in God?

No matter what you believe about how life started, you’ve made a choice to believe it.

No one (at least virtually no one) is being forced to believe how we all got here.

My question is this.

Why would you want to believe you’re just the random result of trillions of mutations? Especially when there’s so much information inside you to the contrary. Because you’re an information-based life form. And that information, coded into your DNA, proves there must be a super coder.

The good news is…that coder is the Creator who loves you. He made you a human being. In His image and likeness. And He allows you to choose to love Him in return. Or not. So, have another Double Helix. And choose wisely.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

And you’ll see you’re not just an accident

(facts and figures from “In the Beginning” by Dr. Walt Brown)

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Your life design is unique. No one else who ever lived, is living now, or will ever live will have the same life as you. But your life is also no different from anybody else either. Here’s what I mean. And why it matters.

The DNA found in every cell of your body is incredibly complex and completely yours. The odds that it exists by chance are so small, you’d be more likely to win the powerball AND get struck by lightning on 3 birthdays in a row.

And He put the code inside you that makes sure no one else will be you. So, are you starting to realize how special you are? Great.

But here’s the other side of the coin…

You’re not so special, unique, or one-of-a-kind when it comes to how your life plays out.

Because you’ll experience awesome days and disappointing days. You’ll have to go through pain. And you’ll enjoy great pleasures. You will. And so will about seven billion other people. So did countless other people throughout history. It’s life.

But just because God gave you your life design doesn’t mean He designed how you’d live out your life.

That’s why you’ll find forks in roads where you’ll have to choose a direction, an option, a judgment call. Because, in your life design, God gave you a brain to use. A mind to store data and make options based on using that data well.

So, what’s the best way to make wise choices when you find one of the forks in the road? It depends on who you’re willing to trust for help. Do you think your best friends have the solution? How about mom? Or dad? Those can be good choices. But what if they’re not available when you’re faced with a situation that needs a “right away” answer?

I suggest that same living, loving Creator I mentioned before.

Remember, He designed you. He formed you in your mother’s womb. And He installed that unique code inside you. He knows what makes you tick. And He’s available 24 hours a day. Every day of your life. And He’s as close as your breath. In fact, He’s closer. He’s the Spirit of Life. For you, me, and everyone who wants him to be. Without Him nobody would exist. And His word is how you get to know Him and discover His advice for those forks in your road.

God’s word says you can plan your way. And it says He will direct your steps. That means He won’t make your decisions for you. And He didn’t plan your life for you. But when you trust Him, He won’t lead you the wrong way. He’ll lead you the direct way. That means you’ll get where you need to be.

Here’s a challenge for you.

Give up self-trust today. Read God’s word even more to understand your life design. Especially Paul’s writings, from Romans through Philemon, in the New Testament. Because Paul’s message is the most relevant part of the Bible for what’s going on right now.

OK, here’s a rhyme to share with kids about their life design.

Inside a trillion tiny cells,

That energy is life itself,

Be thankful for your source of life

© 2013

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Imagination can be an awesome and powerful force. But it can be used for good OR evil. So, it can also be a hypocritical and destructive force. You can imagine yourself flying, on your own power, over the clouds and even through the ocean. And you can imagine no possessions in a world where everyone shares everything. And you can imagine you’re more virtuous than the next person because you say so.

Yeah, that’s a phrase from the lyrics to John Lennon’s song, “Imagine.” And when you examine his lyrics, and then examine his actual life, there’s a (more than) slight discrepancy. I’ll share a glaring example of that further down.

It doesn’t exactly show up in the first verse:

“Imagine there’s no heaven

No, that’s just the musings of someone who’d rather BE God than acknowledge the exist of THE God. And I consider it a very weak and hopeless use of imagination. Because it implies there’s nothing to look forward to after you die. So, people should be “living for today.” Because tomorrow might be the end.

Then, Mr. Lennon (supposedly with the help of his wife, Yoko) expanded on his need to BE God. In fact, he decided his worldview, which opposes God, is the one that can deliver peace.

“Imagine there’s no countries

And he basically said if everyone else would just be a dreamer, too, we’d have one, big, happy world. Yeah, the ol’ one world order dream. Didn’t some wise guy said there’s nothing new under the sun? So, nothing new to see here either.

“You may say I’m a dreamer

So, it’s cool for John to suggest everybody be like him. But it’s not cool for me to suggest being like Jesus. OK, good to know. Anyway…now we get to the part where Mr. (and maybe Mrs.) Lennon reveal his hypocrisy, although I’m sure that’s not what he intended.

“Imagine no possessions

Well, evidently John only imagined those concepts. Because he sure didn’t carry them out. At least not the way the lyrics would have you imagine (see what I did there?) His estimated net worth, at the time of his death in 1980, was somewhere around $200 million. That’s equal to about $620 million in today’s money.

Even fancy schmancy stuff. Matter of fact, on this date (June 29), in 1985, his 1965 Rolls-Royce Phantom V limousine, with psychedelic paintwork, sold for a record amount. $3,006,385. It was part of a Sotheby’s auction in New York. They don’t auction off used cheap stuff, by the way.

So, just think. If John Lennon would have actually shared “all the world” instead of only imagining it, he could have given 200 people/families $1,000,000 each. That’s one million dollars to 200 homes. Can you imagine what a difference that could have made in their lives.

But maybe John wasn’t really a hypocrite. And maybe he just didn’t get around to sharing before his untimely death, at the hands of a deranged murderer. (side note: if only that murderer would have paid more attention to John’s lyrics)

Yeah, maybe John knew his fortune would be in the hands of his benevolent and caring, sharing wife. After all, Yoko was with him at all the “give peace a chance” photo ops. So, surely she spread the wealth. Right?

Well, according to the online sources I’ve seen, Yoko’s net worth is somewhere around $700 million. But she’s probably just ironing out the details for which 700 people/families will each get a million dollars. Because, it’s gotta be SO difficult for her to have all that dough AND imagine no possessions.

Can you live, can you truly live

© 2000

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So, if the love of your life says he or she (and those are your only two choices) would like there to be more spontaneity in the relationship, RUN! Because that means they don’t believe in the biogenesis theory. Or, at the very least, they play way too fast and loose with reality.

In fact, it’s not just a theory. It’s a Law. Like the law of gravity. And those laws of thermodynamics. The law of biogenesis shows that life comes only from life. Sounds like crazy talk to crazy people.

But truth and reality are like that sometimes.

When evolutionist “scientists” say that life emerged from non-living matter, they call it spontaneous generation. Doesn’t matter that spontaneous generation of life has never been observed. That’s why the “law of biogenesis” is a law of science. No one has broken it. And even those evolutionist “scientists” accept it. They don’t want to, but they do.

So, again, RUN from anyone who leans toward the spontaneous side. And don’t look back. Hopefully you know, or understand, how I never kid around about these things.

You can find tons of articles, rhymes, and stories I’ve shared, right here on my website, about how we humans got here. And all my valid points for why the theory of organic evolution is flawed and even invalid are backed by scientific evidence. I personally don’t require any of the scientific evidence to believe that a living, loving Creator made me. But the science is a bonus.

And most people don’t want to share my faith. So, they don’t care about the bonus. And they cling to the theory of evolution because they don’t like where my worldview leads.

Maybe that’s not the reason. Maybe they think their science will back them up. But the biogenesis theory, based on scientific observations, shows life comes only from life. And that should spark a lot of enthusiasm. Not rebellion. But rebels gotta rebel. So, there you go.

Anyway…

If you have some video proof of life coming from non-living matter, I’ll be glad to post it here for everyone to see.

But here’s what I suggest for anyone who believes you should “trust the science.” Let scientific observations take you where they will. And don’t manipulate them on your Ouija board of pre-conceived bias. When you go with my recommendation, don’t be surprised to discover this hope-filled conclusion. You were “fearfully and wonderfully made“.

You’ll hold on to nothing when you leave.

There’s a time for rejoicing;

You can’t make it to the other side

chorus

Don’t turn your head.

© 1983-2007

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Favor and grace sound favorable and gracious to me. But maybe I’m just being too literal. And maybe those words aren’t conducive to your ability, or willingness, to sharing information about eternity. And maybe I should clarify why I’m bringing this up.

First, here’s a quote from a king who lived a long time ago in a land far, far away. “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

Now, contrast that with something that king’s dad (who was also a king) wrote, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

That first quote was from King Solomon. And he’s the king who was given wisdom from God. And you can see a lot of wisdom in his writings. Proverbs especially. In fact, that link, in the quote, will take you to the section in Solomon’s proverbs where he wrote that. But here’s the thing. I don’t know positively, for a fact, but it seems highly likely that Solomon did not go to Heaven when he died.

By many accounts he took 700 wives and 300 concubines for himself. (side note: I don’t know how any man could manage more than 1 wife, let alone 700) And I read a blurb, somewhere, that said that many wives and concubines “showed Solomon had intermarried with all the nations, that he had in some way extended his dominion to the ends of the earth.”

In contrast, King David (Solomon’s dad) had 8 wives. And that’s still 7 too many, but I digress. Anyway, the contrast between David and Solomon is evident when you contrast the book of Ecclesiastes with The Psalms.

OK, I guess I still haven’t cleared up why I brought any of this up. And it’s because I’d rather see you, if you’re a Christian, focus more on the goodness and mercy parts and less on the iron sharpens iron parts. Especially if you seek favor and grace from God.

Because the goodness and mercy parts help to foster humility. And those iron sharpens iron parts tend to foster haughtiness. I’ve seen it way too often. And that’s why I wrote a song, back in 2000, called “High Horses.” It talks about the perils of thinking too highly of yourself.

So, anytime you feel the urge to use some of your iron to sharpen somebody else’s iron, pause. And think about whether it truly falls under the “love your neighbor as yourself” category. Make sure it would help you express God’s favor and grace to those who love Him.

We’re riding our high horses.

© 2000

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Tomorrow is not the time to start something new. Because tomorrow is a concept. Because humans need that concept to help us understand the flowing of time. And even though it helps to include tomorrow in your understanding of time, it never actually gets here.

Then, on the other hand, tomorrow is already here. On the other side of the world at the international date line area. But those people who live on the other side of it don’t live in the future. To them, it’s today. It’s right now.

It’s all so discombobulated. Except when you realize you absolutely DO have a future.

You can’t keep it from happening any more than you can keep the sun from shining.

And that’s why I talk about the power of love so much. Not the wimpy, limp-wristed, “tolerance and diversity” nonsense that attempts to pass itself off as love these days. Nope. I mean the love so powerful it makes the moon revolve around the Earth and the sun to shine with light and warmth.

And that all happens in a universe that’s logical, yet magical. Reasonable, yet unbelievably huge.

For that kind of expansive evidence to exist, there MUST be a Designer even more expansive. I’d be a fool to say otherwise.

Since the evidence points to a Designer, a Creator, it’s a good idea to see if there’s more we can know about that person. Turns out, there’s a LOT more. Yeah, He wrote a bestselling book. No, that’s wrong. He wrote THE bestselling book of all time. The Bible. Maybe you’ve heard of it?

The “heavens and the Earth.” Maybe you’ve heard of ’em? And after He created a perfect living environment He created a couple of perfect people. And He showed ’em their paradise. And He didn’t do all that for funsies. It wasn’t just something to pass the time. It was an awesome act of love.

And because you can see love throughout the Bible, you can understand how and why you can love. At least if you’re willing to understand. Most people aren’t. But I’m willing. And that’s why I’m sharing this song…

What made You think

You made a world

Because You love me so…in spite of all You know…

You put a life

I can live because You live!

© 2010

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Maybe you already know that Kenny Loggins has a brother named Danny. And if you do, then you probably already know that Kenny wrote “Danny’s Song” for his brother as a gift for the birth of his brother’s son. And if you know all that, you’re probably familiar with the line, “In the morning, when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes…”

Yeah, when my brother and I first started our full-time music careers, “Danny’s Song” was one of the staples of our repertoire. And we sang several other Loggins and Messina songs, too. Like, “House at Pooh Corner,” and “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” and “Watching the River Run.”

Back then I had long hair and a beard. Still have the beard, but the hair is short and shall we say, silver. Anyway, I could also sing Kenny Loggins songs and sound a lot like him. And because he also had long hair and a beard people constantly compared us. Of course, that’s not fair to Kenny. But I’m sure he’s OK with it now. He got the money. But I got the dream girl.

So, I only shared that tidbit of Tony history because it’s the wee hours as I write this. Long before the sun comes up. And in the morning, when I rise, I often like to ponder the gift of music.

Several years ago I wrote about how music is found in the creation all around you. But you have to Be Still and listen, so you can hear the…

Listen to the music in the morning.

Listen to the music in the morning

Listen to the music in the morning.

© 2013

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Music and mercy aren’t synonyms. Except that, they kind of are. Well, at least in one way they are. And I have that one example for you. But first, let me share a little story.

During my freshman year in high school, I was an introvert’s introvert. Didn’t want attention. I had just gotten my first pair of glasses during the preceding summer, and I was still in accelerated classes. And I had the nerd thing going on, big time. So, I was ecstatic to stay in the background.

Fortunately I had something in my life I could always turn to for comfort. Music.

And I’d surround myself with it. Not the same kind of music most of my fellow students enjoyed. Because most of that wasn’t allowed in our household. But most of that music had some sort of connection to drugs, etc. Since I wasn’t involved with drugs (etc.) I wasn’t “missing out.”

Well, somewhere around the age of 13 I became a Christian. And even though I was still too young to fully realize the benefits of that decision, I was able to appreciate the power of God’s mercy.

It surrounds you and protects you even better than your favorite down comforter on a cold, winter night. Because it doesn’t simply surround your body. God’s mercy surrounds your heart and soul.

And it can be a place to “hide.” From your enemies. And from the troubles of the world.

As it just so happens, another famous musician felt the same way about music and mercy. And he wrote about it 2500 years ago. Give or take a few years. You might have heard of him. King David.

And in Psalm 32, a song about God’s forgiveness toward David, he said, “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.” See? He sang about God surrounding him with songs. Then, a few lines later, he said,

“Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.” See? There he sang about how God can surround you with mercy.

So, mercy isn’t exactly synonymous with music. But they’re both gifts of God’s forgiveness. And they can surround you the same way.

All you gotta do is ask.

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Today was the day. Friends and family spent time together, in the little town of Gardner, Kansas, celebrating Mom. She died on February 11 of this year (2021) and left the aches and pains of this world to go live in Heaven.

For the past several years I called Mom just about every Sunday for our weekly “catch up.” And I remember, especially in the past couple of years, how she’d occasionally bring up things she wished she hadn’t done in her life. Because she knew, after gaining some wisdom, how choices have consequences.

And when she’d get emotional about some of her bad choices, I’d remind her that every other person on the planet had the same problem. You and I make bad choices. It’s in our nature. And we can’t wish it away. But we can wash it away. Not with tap water. Or even filtered water.

Nope. It’s gonna take Living Water. And that water washes away guilt as it grows eternal, green pastures. And we know that, right now, it’s where you’re celebrating, Mom.

So, a big Thank You to everyone who said nice things about her today. We were all blessed to have her be a part of our lives. I know she’s experiencing the fullness of what King David wrote…

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

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