This is something good to share with the kiddos. I talked about this over 10 years ago. But since this kind of nerve health is an ongoing issue, it’s just as relevant as ever.

Have you ever heard someone say “you got a lotta nerve?” Usually they don’t mean that in a good way. It’s usually someone thinking you shouldn’t have said or done what you just said or did.

Like maybe you just told a guy his purple mohawk looks goofy. And he says, “Hey, you got a lotta nerve.” Here’s a helpful tip. When you see some dork, who has a purple mohawk, just do like Dionne Warwick sang. Walk on By. Let the dork have his purple mohawk. And act as though you never saw it.

Same thing goes for someone who has one yellow shoe and one pink shoe. Or someone who loves prunes. Let ’em wear their mismatched shoes and eat their strange fruits. Because other people’s mismatched shoes, strange fruit, and weird hair should have NO effect on YOU. And when you get down to it, the world is full of much stranger things.

But, as the saying goes, don’t sweat the small stuff.

You can think whatever you want, about their dorkiness. But keep it to yourself, and don’t say it out loud. You’ll either make ’em mad or make ’em sad. Either way, it’s best to just keep on walkin’ and whistlin’.

The best side effect of taking my advice is your own good nerve health. And besides that, when you have more “regard for good things,” it’ll be more of an insult to dorks than all your verbal criticisms. Plus, you can focus your boldness on self-improvement. Like this:

You got a lotta nerve sayin’ you’re gonna climb that tree,

You got a lotta nerve sayin’ you’re gonna read that book

You got a lotta nerve sayin’ you wanna be your best

You got a lotta nerve sayin’ you wanna do what’s right,

© 2013

Just use a little bit of nerve, and jump on the The TRUTH. And be part of the growing band of believers who know life has Rhyme and Reason because God is Real.

Stay tuned,

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19000 days. Yes, that’s nineteen thousand days. And that’s a lotta days. But I didn’t just pick a number off the top of my head. No, it’s the approximate number of days I’ve written poetry.

To those I say, “Ouch. You hurt both my feelings.”

So, the number of days also closely represents the number of poems and songs and short stories. Yes, I’ve written something nearly every one of those days. And there were many times I wrote multiple rhymes in a day.

But I didn’t bring that big number up to brag. I’d like to emphasize how inexhaustible information is. Because it’s non-material. No matter how many words are written. by every writer who ever lived, lives now, or ever will live, we will never be able to use up all the words.

And I’m not a proponent of miracles, when it comes to faith. I don’t look for signs and wonders to point me to the Creator of Heaven and Earth. So, when I talk about the miraculous wonder of our information based existence, I mean it’s a miracle that God allows us this life we willingly destroy.

Or, at the very least, it’s a wonder He still has any patience for any of us. But I believe He does have patience and tender mercy because at least some of us love this gift of Life He gave us.

Theirs is a hopeless existence. Because they believe it to be temporary and nihilistic. And in only what their senses tell them.

But that’s just not sensible.

Three years ago, I woke up in the wee hours, and worked on some “rewrites” of some of my writings. And, as I wrote, a few other thoughts popped in. Here’s what I said:

“A materialistic worldview says everything that exists is made up of nothing but matter and energy. But it’s a self-refuting position. Because the thoughts behind that statement are non-material and non-physical.

And that’s good news.

Unless your whole philosophy in life relies on the absence of a Creator God.

Then, non-physical information becomes a thorn in your side. A stumbling block you can’t move out of the way with more anti God rhetoric. And the sad news is, the opponents of God don’t care about evidence. So, their agenda is clear.

Mock and ridicule Christians for believing in “someone or something invisible in the sky.”

But they don’t care about our intellectualism and scientific knowledge. Only that we believe in the God who is the ultimate standard of right and wrong.

And it’s only 4 a.m. I can only imagine what this new day will bring.”

Then, of course, I finished my morning journal entry with a poem…

This day, I know, will be awesome and so lyrical

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Today, America is a messed up vision. A shadow of its former somewhat shadowy self. Because right and wrong is a concept blurred by propaganda. And good and bad are now in the “eye of the beholder.” So, those who run America ( and that’s probably not the politicians) don’t learn from their mistakes. They think they’re wise. But they’re fools.

And I listed 3 major ways humans don’t learn from mistakes.

1. Truth: Those who want to control others cast shadows on the truth. Truth is their mortal enemy. So they have to pound out lies with great 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”. Nazi’s believed if you told a “lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually become to believe it”. Do you see that happening all around you today?

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…could it?

3. Property: Once people realize they can vote the money away from the wealthy and into their own pockets, then there’s no bottom to that abyss. Politicians run for office (and win) using promises based on redistribution of wealth. It’s not merely wrong. It’s evil, and 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. Does that describe you?

Well, here’s a song about that whole messed up vision.

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

Nothin’s sacred anymore”

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

Nothin’s sacred anymore”

More space and time”more would be sublime

© 2002 Tony Funderburk

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Ah, yes. Diversity, equity, and unabashed tolerance. That’s what you get when you mix a whole lotta different kinds of people together in one place. Right? And you just better brace yourself for gobs of group hugs, too. Because peace, love, and joy overflow where masses of people go. (cue the record scratch and bubble pop sound effects) Uh, get real. Because this is about murder, mayhem, and madness.

I’m talkin’ real stuff. With real people (and I use that term loosely) doing real bad stuff to other people. Yeah, that kind of murder, mayhem, and madness.

I read an article, from last week, that talked about it. An adjunct professor from John Jay College of Criminal Justice (I’m sure they know less than they think they do) said homicides and shootings are already ahead of last year’s pace. And the professor also said the problems seem to be mostly in cities.

What?! Can that be? With all the politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and sports “stars” sharing messages about putting differences aside, how can that be? I’m baffled.

Except…

I’m not.

Even though the professor, who’s also a former sergeant for the NYPD, said summer months bring out more crime because there are more people out there.

Oh, I see. If you let people go outside, the heat will cause them to do some bad things.

He even said that since the pandemic is ending people will want to get out and do stuff. And he thinks that’s “just a cocktail for disaster to some.”

Wow, I remember some mighty hot summers in the South and Midwest where I grew up. But people didn’t tend to blame crime on the weather back then. I guess they just didn’t know better, yet.

Weather ain’t the problem.

When you read stats on a website that say 369 people were shot in the past 72 hours, your first thought shouldn’t be to check out the week’s forecast on your weather app.

And when you read about how New York City’s murder rate increased by 350% compared to the same time frame last year, it’s not time to buy more sunscreen.

And when you discover there’s a website that archives what they call “gun violence,” don’t schedule an appointment with your air conditioner technician.

No, you can cite stats and quotes and hypotheses till the cows come home. And you still won’t be a nanometer closer to the cause of all the murder, mayhem, and madness.

Most (if not all) adjunct professors (and professors of most colors, creeds, and characters) are clueless when it comes to Why. So, the best (if you can call it that) they can postulate are solutions like more jail time and more analysis…both psycho and data.

Or worse, they play the blame game. But they blame intangibles like lawlessness. Or social disadvantages. And even “increased perception of police illegitimacy.”

But if you’re gonna blame anything, blame sin. Or more to the point…sinners. People who don’t care that we humans are created in the image and likeness of God. People who couldn’t care less that every single one of us comes from the same race. And the same two original humans.

Yeah, when you raise kids to believe they just evolved from animals, you get kids who act like animals. Duh! And animals kill and eat other animals. But they do it merely to survive. Not because they derive some sick pleasure from seeing the other animal die. That’s evil reserved only for the human “animals.”

But, as you know (if you’ve followed me for a while), I’m an optimist. And I don’t like to leave you with negative thoughts. So, I’ll just leave you with a suggestion your Creator inspired the Apostle Paul to write.

“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

And…

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

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I had my eyes examined (no, not my head) a couple of weeks ago. And this week I got my new glasses. Plus, this is my 2020th post here on TonyFunderburk.com. So, those two things, and a couple of other unnamed things, got me thinking about that expression, “hindsight is 20 20.”

From what I’ve been able to figure out, with only a little research…because I don’t wanna spend a lot of time on it…is that the expression probably started somewhere around the mid 1900’s.

Because it implies that you can look back in time and see, more clearly, what you woulda coulda shoulda done. And it’s another way of saying “those who don’t learn from the past are destined to repeat it.”

The expression is based on something known as the Snellen chart. And if you’ve ever had an eye examination, you’ve seen the chart. Those rows of letters that get smaller and smaller. And the doctor asks you to cover one eye and read the smallest line you can see.

(side note: For some reason they have fewer lines than when I was younger, but anyway…)

So, when you can see the chart clearly, with both eyes, from a distance of 20 feet, your vision is 20/20.

But here’s a little plot twist.

Just because your vision might be categorized as 20/20 doesn’t mean it’s perfect vision. It just means you have clear, sharp vision when you look straight ahead. And your ophthalmologist (there’s a word you need glasses for) will still wanna test your peripheral and depth perception.

Because you can get a prescription to see what’s in front of you more clearly. And that can help you avoid running into a door. Or help you drive safely. But there’s no prescription for looking back in time.

And even if there were a prescription, it wouldn’t help. Because you still couldn’t do anything about what happened five minutes ago. Let alone 20 years ago.

But you CAN learn from your past mistakes. And you CAN do better as you move forward. But it’s gonna require a prescription most people don’t want.

Get wisdom.

Yeah, wisdom. Not book smarts. Not street smarts. Pure, unadulterated wisdom.

And most people don’t wanna do that because they don’t wanna go where it is. They’d rather hide their heads in books. Or turn their ears to the streets. But the world doesn’t contain wisdom.

The world is full of “unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness.”

And that list manipulates people into being “whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful.”

If not, then I think it’s time for your eye exam.

And I’d like to recommend the best way to look back so you can see clearly as you move forward. And, of course, my recommendation is to read the bestselling book of all time. The Bible.

Or you can keep running into walls,

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You and I should cling to what is good. Not because it’s some kind of law. But because there’s much benefit to it. Sometimes eternal benefits. But you can’t do it. And I can’t either. We just can’t do it.

And that sounds bad. Right? (tongue only slightly in cheek) And it sounds bad because it IS bad. But human nature looks for ways to be king (or queen) of the world. You and I don’t go out of our way to be “kindly affectionate to one another.” And we sure don’t wanna “give preference to one another.”

Especially nowadays. Because all that gushy love your neighbor kind of stuff is seen as a sign of weakness by many, if not most, people these days. And weak definitely ain’t cool. So, skip that goody two shoes stuff.

But that brings up a good question.

Since we can’t do all that patient love and affection stuff, why does God ask or tell us to do it?

Yeah. And in fact, he gets downright insistent about it through His apostle, Paul, in his letter to the Romans.

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.”

And neither can you.

Not on our own anyway.

You’re gonna need help to show brotherly love to people in this world. And you’re gonna need help being fervent in spirit and patient in tribulation. Because your flesh…your self…wants to BE served. And without the “continuing steadfastly in prayer” part, that’s the way it will BE.

So, cling to what is good. And here’s the best way to do that. Cling to God. Because only He is good. All the time. And in every way. Only God will never let you down. And only His love will get you through your life.

That’s how you do the impossible. Let God do it through you. Remember…you get to choose.

You can’t begin the day, it’s impossible.

(from the song, Impossible Odds)

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Different people don’t tend to get along so well. Have you noticed that? And history books denote sections of time, most often, using wars as markers. And almost all of those wars were between different peoples. Although it could be argued that America’s own civil war runs contrary to that assertion. But it doesn’t diminish my point. Which is how the basic issues of society haven’t changed much.

And the mass murders, quickly adding up the first quarter of 2021, are somber examples of our corporate inabilities to address the problems with wisdom.

Instead…politicians, people calling themselves journalists, celebrities of all kinds, and even your garden variety neighbors spend countless hours trying to understand. What kind of animal/monster/person could he have done this? How could someone like this get to this point? Etc. Etc. Etc.

And then, naturally, calls for stricter, more stringent laws go out. And large numbers of so-called “caring individuals” jump on the bandwagon. “We gotta do a better job of educating.” Or “It’s too easy to get your hands on weapons of mass destruction.” Or how about the ubiquitous, “There oughta be a law.”

I read an article, from six years ago, that said there are at least 5000 federal laws on the books. And there are somewhere between 10,000 and 300,000 regulations to go with those laws. And those are all just on the federal level. Those numbers don’t include state, county, and local laws.

So, if more laws would do the trick…why haven’t they?

Because they don’t address the root cause for the even the least harmful issues of society. Much less the mass murders epidemic.

And I can hear somebody ask, “OK, Tony…if there’s a so-called root cause for it all, what is it?”

Selfishness. And to put a little more polish on it, rebellious selfishness.

For example, when a despicable human being goes into a grocery store and shoots people he doesn’t even know, who do you think is his top priority? Yeah…self.

And I can say “despicable human being” because that’s the kind of human being who murders. “Good people” don’t murder. And I put quotes around “good people” because no one is good except God. But anyway…when you hate your fellow man, and love only yourself, you can do the worst things.

So, how do so many people get to the point of murder? Sadly, it’s because they’re raised on hate. Yeah, hate is taught in public schools, on TV, and in most major Hollywood movies. Kids are taught, from the earliest ages, that we came from animals. That we humans are just another animal. And what do animals do to survive? The strong ones kill and eat the weak ones.

What can solve the issues of society, if it’s not new and better laws?

In a word…love. In three words…love AND hate.

What?! Solve the problem of hate with more hate? Yeah. But not the kind of hate you might be picturing in your head. The kind of hate that adds wisdom to love. God inspired Paul to write “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”

And to abhor means to hate with all your might.

But notice, Paul sandwiched the hate between love and good. Pretty cool, right?

This will sound somewhat counterintuitive. But if you “love your neighbor,” then you’ll hate him when he’s evil. And you’ll tell him (or her) when he’s evil. And you’ll love him enough to tell him he’s on a path to hell. But if you hate him enough, you’ll look for ways to “understand” his motives.

I didn’t come up with this concept. I’m a messenger. The only thing one person needs, in order for us to have love/hate issues, is another person. And when the issues of society include mass murders and judicial confusion, the message is more important than ever.

Accept or reject,

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This comes from back in the days of knights and lords and ladies. Apparently it was customary for a knight to wear the name of a certain lady during a tournament. And it was typically the lady he loved…or would compete to impress. In other words, he was laying it all out in the open. These days, when you wear your heart on your sleeve, you’re probably revealing your innermost thoughts.

In fact, you have lots of options for revealing your thoughts and laying it all out there. You’re reading an example right now. Yeah, each time I write an article here on TonyFunderburk.com I wear my heart on my sleeve. At least a little.

Not to impress the lords and ladies. But to hopefully shed and share a little light of truth, some music, and logic and reason.

But to borrow a line from a Kim Carnes song, “That’s where the trouble starts.”

Because one man’s truth, logic, and reason is another man’s hate speech. And that happens so often because truth is hate to those who hate the truth.

I’m not a fan of labeling humans according to paint colors. In fact, even though it’s probably a losing battle, I’m against the human color codes. I’ve written about it before. Red, yellow, black, and white are not skin colors. They’re paints. Or crayons. But most certainly not skin colors.

And I get it. Those colors are so ingrained in our minds now, it’s difficult to think of describing other people without using the RYBW scale. But it’s worth the effort to re-train your brain.

Otherwise you’ll end up saying silly stuff like “black lives matter.” And that could become such a thorn in somebody’s side that they’ll end up feeling the need to say “It’s OK to be white.”

Of course “black” lives matter. And of course it’s OK to be “white.” But that’s because all human lives matter. And there are many shades of skin colors. One is not better or worse than the next.

But evidently humans just can’t go five minutes without picking a fight. Actually, that’s probably being generous. Humans can’t seem to go five seconds without picking a fight. Or having to deal with somebody else who’s picking one.

And so we end up with this kind of world: “unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful…”

If you’re paying attention, you see this in living color. All around the world. And especially right here in the good ol’ U. S. of A.

But it requires people of all skin shades to do something most of them seem completely unwilling to do.

Love.

But not hypocritical love. You see that kind everywhere in people who claim to love, accept, and tolerate everyone. But their love turns to vitriolic hate when someone dares to claim there is only one God. And one absolute Truth. And one Way to Heaven. Those claims will NOT be loved, accepted, or tolerated.

But just because people will hate you for standing firm on God’s word doesn’t mean you don’t do it. Remember, Jesus said “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before it hated you.”

So, you’re in the best company even in the worst of times. And, as for me…

I plan to wear my heart on my sleeve

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OK, kids. Gather ’round. Because I’m gonna tell you a story that’s true, even though it sounds like a fairy tale. “Once upon a time, when I was a kid, my whole family would sit down in the same room and watch television shows together. That’s right, the same shows…together.” Yeah, that sounds like a fairy tale these days. But it was true. And a news story reminded me of how one of those shows started off with “And away we go.”

Of course, I’m talking about Jackie Gleason. And he was the star of the popular Saturday night TV show, appropriately named “The Jackie Gleason Show.” The “great one” (as he was known) would start the show with a monologue. And at the end of the monologue, he’d strike a pose, as though he was gonna speed off like the Roadrunner, and say…

But you sorta had to be there. Because it wasn’t just the pose or the words. It was the way he said it. I’m sure you can find a video of it online. So, check it out, and you’ll see what I mean. I was too young to actually understand some of the show’s humor. But that part was funny.

Now…this is just another example of the quirky way my brain works.

Because I thought of that Jackie Gleason catchphrase after I heard about a moron, Emanuel Cleaver, and his idiotic, so-called “prayer.” I’m sure you’ve already heard or read about him. And how he ended the “prayer” to open the 117th Congress with “Amen and awoman.”

That’s idiotic on so many levels. First, it mixes plural with singular. Second, Amen isn’t a gendered word. It basically means “so be it” in the Christian and Jewish faiths. (By the way, you should check out this presentation of the origin of Amen.)

Also, the name Emanuel contains MAN. But who’s counting. And apparently that guy (who I said is not a clever Cleaver) is not only a Congresman…oops there’s man again…but he also calls himself a United Methodist preacher. Yikes!

And there are far too many people who blindly go to their churches and never call ’em out on their foolishness and hypocrisy. So, these moron ministers feel legitimate. And their motivational speech “churches” grow and “prosper.”

But that’s not the worst part.

The worst part is the damage they do to the rest of the world’s view and opinion of the Body of Christ. They think we must all be fools and dorks and morons like this hack, Cleaver.

And so we “suffer the slings and arrows” of their outrageous inanity. But that’s why Christians who know better need to “take arms against” this “sea of troubles.” And before anyone thinks I’m saying “Annie git your gun” let me say I’m a Romans 12:18 guy.

So…even if you’re a woman…can I get an Amen?

Give me words…give me courage…

(from “Give Me The Whole Jesus“)

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I woke up in the middle of the night, as usual. And while I was still halfway between a dream and awake I heard my own lyrics inside my head. But not just lyrics I’ve already written. No, I also heard rewrites. New words and phrases to replace certain ones in the song. So, I closed my eyes, fell asleep, and moved on.  

And they made sense. The new lyrics fit the song better than the original ones. And I enjoyed the updated message. But even more than that…I enjoyed the process. Because it felt like I was collaborating with myself. Or was it me?

Hmm…

So far, this might all sound like egocentric babbling. But there’s an important truth, going on here, I’d like you to consider.

A materialistic worldview says everything that exists is made up of nothing but matter and energy. But it’s a self-refuting position. Because the thoughts behind that statement are non-material…non-physical.

And that’s good news.

Unless your whole philosophy in life relies on the absence of a Creator God.

Then, non-physical information becomes a thorn in your side. A stumbling block you can’t move out of the way with more anti God rhetoric. And the sad news is, the opponents of God don’t care about evidence. So, their agenda is clear.

Mock and ridicule Christians for believing in “someone or something invisible in the sky.”Which, of course, we don’t do. But they don’t care about our intellectualism and scientific knowledge. Only that we believe in the God who is the ultimate standard of right and wrong.

And it’s only 4 a.m. I can only imagine what this new day will bring.

But I know it will be awesome and so lyrical

Stay tuned,

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