Anyone who truly knows me might tell you, if cornered, that I’m definitely anti touchy feely ushy-gushy stuff. So, I make it a point to write books for kids with a good balance of love AND strength. And I believe that’s the example you can see in the bestselling life manual of all time.

And I’m confident I’ll be at my best when I’m following the example you can easily see in Jesus. Plus, I think that’s fairly easy to see in my writing. If you think I’m wrong about that, feel free to show me why you think that way.

Anyway…

I shared all that because of a summary I found of one of my most recent books for kids. The book is called “The Lonely Lilypad.” And, as I said, I believe it shows that nice balance of love and strength. But the summary mentions a bunch of touchy feely ushy-gushy stuff. Here’s what it says:

“The Lonely Lilypad” by Tony Funderburk explores several themes, including:

And the summary ended with this:

“These themes are woven into a narrative that aims to teach children about emotional resilience, the value of friendship, and the beauty of life’s surprises through a simple yet engaging story.”

Evidently I wrote a book that emphasized feelings, transformations, more feelings, acts of kindness, community, inclusivity, more feelings, and even lessons about our ecosystem and “natural world.”

Wow. I didn’t realize I could be so progressive. But there you have it. In red and yellow (and black and white, so we can keep it inclusive). Now, I’m not even sure I can recommend you to my own book. And maybe I shouldn’t share the link, to get this crazy coloring and drawing book, with my email subscribers. But what the hey. I will. Because I think they’ll understand and forgive me.

Now, how did those first lines go…?

So, once there was a lilypad that no frog ever used.

Do you have kids, grandkids, or know someone who does? Well, if you’re the forgiving (and inclusive) type, too, maybe you should subscribe to my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional so you can grab the link to “The Lonely Lilypad.” But, remember I warned you about the ushy-gushy stuff.

Stay tuned…

The post Love and strength are found in the water, not on ground appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

OK, you’ll enjoy this story much more if you use your best Irish or Scottish accent as you read. Even if you read it to yourself and you don’t read it out loud. You’re already doin’ it. Aren’t ya? Yeah, the way that power of suggestion works is a mystical phenomenon.

Have you ever heard of the Blue Celtic Cloud?

Some say it’s not just a vapor. Not just part of the sky. And some will swear the Blue Celtic Cloud is even more than just a mystical phenomenon. They’ll swear it’s a living, shimmering “entity” that floats above the verdant highlands and rugged coastlines of Eire.

In fact, I heard a story about it. And I’ll share the story with you now. Word for word.

(by the way, your accent is delightful)

Anyway…

Rhiannon, a young druidess, was the guardian of the aforementioned Blue Celtic Cloud. She had inherited this sacred duty from her grandmother, Maeve. And Maeve had whispered tales of the cloud’s power into Rhiannon’s ears ever since she was a child.

Maeve told her the Blue Celtic Cloud was no ordinary puff of vapor. Not at all. Because it contained the dreams and hopes of the Celtic people. And it could transform those dreams and hopes into healing rain to nourish the earth and all who with open hearts to music.

And one crisp morning, during the last few days of Spring, as a mist kissed the heather-covered hills, Rhiannon felt a drop of water on her forehead. The Blue Celtic Cloud was swirling with a luminous energy. Even as the rest of the world was quiet and still.

So, Rhiannon chanted ancient incantations she learned from her grandmother. And the Blue Celtic Cloud descended and surrounded her in a soft, glowing mist.

A gentle rain began to fall. But the strange thing about it was that Rhiannon didn’t get wet. Because the rain fell directly into her heart. Or at least it felt that way. And she could also feel the dreams and hopes of the Celtic people as beautiful music also found its way to her heart. And, without even realizing it, the song made her smile.

It sure was a whimsical, wonderful mystical phenomenon. But sadly, Rhiannon had no one to share the song with. So, she sang it to the Blue Celtic Cloud. And she asked the Cloud to send it to someone, someday, some way, who could and would pass it on to others.

Finally, hundreds of years later, the Cloud found an unsuspecting, but willing, songwriter to write down the words and compose the song.

And that’s how the ninth song on my Lullabye Bye collection of lullaby songs for kids came about. Cross my heart and hope to fly.

Listen to a sample of “Blue Celtic Cloud,” as well as all the other songs in the Lullabye Bye collection here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV4pKjLJWgg)

And it shouldn’t take a mystical phenomenon for you to jump on over to the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop to get your special kids their very own Lullabye Bye coloring, drawing songbook. And did I mention, there’s a link, in the book, to download all the songs?

Well, there is. So, download your Lullabye Bye book in the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop right now.

Stay tuned…

The post Mystical phenomenon, in this song, goes on and on appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

I bet your name is NOT Titus. Because that’s not one of the more common names these days. At least not in English speaking countries. But, according to some information I found, Titus was once “one of the most common first names in the old world.”

(HEY KIDS: be sure to read through this whole post. Because, if you do, you can win a chance to get your name in one of my books of Rhymes and Reasons.)

And there’s a lot of info that says the name, Titus, means something like “title of honor.” Even if you don’t speak Greek or Latin or some other old language, it seems pretty easy to make that connection. Some other connections people have made with the name Titus include:

And some say that people who are named Titus are “thought to be confident, assertive individuals who possess great charisma and the ability to inspire and lead others. They are often seen as natural leaders, with a strong sense of responsibility and a deep sense of duty to those they love.”

Maybe those are some of the qualities the Apostle Paul saw in his follower, Titus. And Paul wrote Titus a letter which became one of the “books of the Bible.” The letter/book is pretty short. But Paul wrote it to offer Titus some encouragement and wisdom.

And Paul told Titus how to complete his assigned job of establishing elders for the churches under his care. Paul described how these leaders should be. Plus, he wanted Titus to know how all believers should relate to each other. And know how to be and act with nonbelievers, too.

So, here’s your challenge. And your chance to get some fame for your name. Even if it’s one of the uncommon names.

All you gotta do, is read Paul’s letter to Titus. It’s a very short letter. So, it won’t take you much time to get through it. And somewhere in the letter is the answer you’ll need to fill in the final word that finishes the rhyme below. Think you can do it? If so, be sure to leave a comment with your answer.

Here’s the rhyme:

Obey the ones who are in charge,

There’ll be other challenges. So, there’ll be other chances to get your name in one of my upcoming books of Rhymes and Reasons. If you wanna get a jump on the competition and know when the next one is, jump on the The TRUTH.

That way they’ll come to you, and you won’t have to go lookin’ for ’em.

Stay tuned,

The post Common names and simple claims appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Gonna talk about truth and mercy right now. So, get ready to take some mental notes. Yeah, put away those silly tablets and other writing accoutrement. Because I don’t want your brain distracted by an urgent need to jot notes.

So, before I go any further, I know your brain is already distracted by the grammar in my headline, “Truth and mercy for what him and her say.” Right? C’mon, admit it. Your first thought was to call the grammar police and report some noun/verb abuse. But, hopefully you remembered I’m Mister Tony, the Rhyme and Reason Guy. And you thought, “Hey, wait a minute. I bet Tony’s using his poetic license to make his headline rhyme.”

And I’m so glad none of this caused a ruckus we can’t overcome. So, on to the main point(s).

Have you ever been called a loser? I hope not. But if you have, I’m sure you remember how much it hurt. Right? People who call you a loser or some other name have already lost something. I bet you didn’t know that, did you? Yep, people like that have lost 2 things you should never lose. Would you like to know what they are? Keep reading…

There are a lot of things in this life you could lose and it wouldn’t make much difference. Your pencil. Your paper. And your bubble gum. But those are just thingy things. You can almost always get more thingy things. But there are other things much more important.

Truth and Mercy. Did you already guess? If so, you win a big pat on your back. Go tell someone I said to give you one.

And you know what mercy is. Right? It’s kinda like telling someone you’re not mad at them for breaking your toy. In fact, instead of getting mad at them, you tell them they can play with another one of your toys. You should try that sometime. You might be surprised to see what a big smile you could put on your friend’s face. Yeah, mercy is a pretty special thing. You should have a lot of it in you.

And I bet you know what truth is, too. Right? It’s what you say that can stand any test. And it’s the same for everybody. Let’s say I tell you the sun is bigger and hotter than the moon. Am I telling you the truth? Sure am. And isn’t it true for everybody who lives here on Earth. Sure is. Everybody can see the sun is bigger. And they can feel how much hotter it is. So, if I tell someone those things…I’m telling them the truth. It’s good to know some things are true for everybody.

There’s something that ties mercy and truth together. Do you know what that is? It’s love.

When you love somebody, it’s much easier to show mercy and say, “You can play with this toy even though you broke that one.” And when you love, you want to know truth…because you might be curious where love comes from. Don’t you think so?

Here’s the biggest reason why it’s important to know these 2 things you should never lose. Because when you have those things in YOUR heart, you win a place in God’s heart.

And winning a place in God’s heart is the best thing you could ever win because that lasts forever. Go share some Truth and Mercy today. I’m counting on you. And here’s a rhyme to help you remember…

Mercy and truth are lighted lamps

Get some music and a book sent your way real fast. Just jump on the The TRUTH. And join a growing band of believers who enjoy my books, daily rhymes, songs, and videos about the power of God’s Love.

Stay tuned,

The post Truth and mercy for what him and her see appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Information inside your cells determined whether you’d have brown or blue or green eyes. And it determined whether you’d have black or brown or blonde hair. AND whether you’d be a boy or a girl (Those are the only choices, by the way). Take a trillion trails of that information, see where it goes, and I believe you’ll come to the same conclusion I did: “Whoa, dude. That sounds complex. My head just exploded.”

You could take a lot more than that and still remain in the cells of one, single person. Yeah, you’re gonna need to stock up. Because that’s gonna be a long journey.

Think about the thoughts and memories you have floating around in your mind right now. Those thoughts and memories have no physical parts. In fact, you can’t feel, smell, taste, hear, or see them. And here’s the thing. They didn’t create themselves. Information can’t do that. It’s too complex.

I know I keep saying that, but I just can’t help myself. It’s tru. The information in the DNA of each of your cells is basically equal to a library with 4000 books. It’s like your body isn’t a single star. It’s a whole constellation.

So, to say that much data stored in the 37 trillion cells in your body happened by chance mutations is ludicrous (Not to be confused with “Ludacris” although he IS ludicrous).

Anyway…

Why would you (or anybody) prefer to believe in chance, circumstance, and some sort of mutations dance? And why wouldn’t you (or anybody) prefer to believe in the living, loving God who wants us to live forever? Chance, circumstance, and mutations don’t care whether you live or die. So they certainly don’t care if you live forever. In fact, they only contribute to your hopelessness. Until they eventually erase it altogether.

Toss it aside? Make fun of it? Sure, those options are at your disposal. But you could also check out scientific links I’ve shared. Don’t take my word for it. And see if your belief system is challenged. Who knows? Maybe your belief system will change. That happens a lot when people open their eyes to the truth.

If it hasn’t already happened for you, I hope it does REAL SOON.

Through the trillion trails of starlight

© 2017

Milky Way Bouquet is an instrumental included on the popular collection of lullabies called “Lullabye Bye.” Get all the songs, in the unique songbook and coloring and drawing book for kids by the same title, from this link:

(https://www.amazon.com/Lullabye-Bye-Tony-Funderburk/dp/B08BWFWSLN)

Stay tuned,

The post Trillion trails of information in your personal constellation appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

For a long time I sang for my supper. And breakfast, lunch, and snacks. And I sang for my monthly bills, my gasoline consumption, and even my cool clothes. When you can pay your way as a musician, do you know what they call you? Yeah, somebody who should get a real job. Wait a second! That’s not right. They call you a professional musician. Or professional entertainer. Or something like that.

For 25 years I played just about every kind of venue a professional musician could play. And I’d take all the paid bookings I could fit into my calendar. Sometimes the feast would include 7 nights a week and additional day gigs on the weekend. And sometimes the famine would be a weak weekender.

And I didn’t have to compete with free.

But once every Tammy, Jane, and Mary had a computer with the power to rip music off discs and send it all around the globe for free, the professional musician days were changed forever.

At first I despised what had become of the world of music. And, on certain levels, I still do. But then, technology began to offer ways for singer/songwriters to keep more of their intellectual property. Of course, it’s a pipe dream to think anyone can hold on to all of their intellectual property any more. But when you can at least offer it up in ways that aren’t so easy to rip and steal, you gotta try.

So, in the past few years I started offering my music collections in physical books. I haven’t been actively trying to sell downloads and certainly not discs for a while. And if you’re one of those people who’ve supported my efforts by buying my books, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I want you to know YOU are the kind of person who I want to keep on producing music for.

As my circumstances permit, I hope to have more stuff you haven’t heard before. In the meantime, you’ll find my physical music offers in links below. And here’s my ode to the…

The times will come in everyone’s life

© 2019

Use this link (and share it with everybody you know) to jump on the The TRUTH and get my really refreshing rhymes and reasons delivered to you with no chargeroo.

Stay tuned,

The post Professional musician times before these reasons and rhymes appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

I think about what she said, more often, these days.

I’m talkin’ about what my Grandmother said, as I sat on her front porch snapping green beans with her. It was during a couple of years when my brother and I lived with our Dad’s parents while he worked on setting up a new home life.

Dad and Mom divorced when I was about four and my brother was two and a half. Since he was given custody of us, he asked our Grandparents to take care of us, most of the time, so he could find another wife and someone who could be the “mother figure” in our lives. This was, of course, before feminism ruined so many households. But that’s another topic for another time.

Anyway…

Back to what my Grandmother said.

I remember it like it was yesterday. Despite the fact that it was decades ago. Grandmother sat on her porch chair, the metal clamshell style, with a large enameled metal bowl, full of green beans from their back yard garden, in her lap. I sat in the other chair with a smaller bowl in my lap. And we snapped green beans. And she talked while I listened.

“Enjoy this peaceful, wonderful day, and don’t take it for granted,” she said. “Because, one of these days, you might be my age and most of, or all of, the people you love will be gone for good.”

I remember thinking to myself, “Why do old people talk this way?” Of course, being a pre-schooler, I couldn’t have seen how Grandmother was speaking from experience. I was too young to grasp the depth of her advice. But, even a young age, I had enough respect for my elders to listen and pay attention.

And for some reason, I enjoyed snapping green beans.

Now, let’s fast forward to THESE days.

I’m about 10 years older than Grandmother was when she gave me that advice. And as of 2021, the fullness of her prediction came true. All those people I loved, except for my brother, are gone for good. In February, it’ll be three years ago already that Mom was the last to go.

But I’m one of the fortunate ones in this world. Because I have the hope of seeing them again. Because my Grandparents AND my parents believed in and trusted Jesus.

I know. At first you thought I was just gonna share a little of my good ol’ Americana story. But then I had to go and spoil it all by saying something about Jesus. (side note: for some reason Frank and Nancy Sinatra popped into my mind)

But here’s the thing.

I would never have any nostalgic stories to share if it wasn’t for Jesus. And neither would you for that matter. Because He created us. For crying out loud, without a Manufacturer, there are NO manufactured goods. Without a Designer, there’s no design. Without a Creator, there’s no creation. You get the idea. Right?

The image of sitting on the porch with my Grandmother came into my head after I read about a Christian brother whose wife died a couple of days ago. And this has recently happened with a couple of my other friends, too. Fortunately, each of them has the hope of seeing their wives again. And that hope is because of their faith in Jesus.

If you’re reading this without that kind of hope, I hope that changes for you very soon.

You don’t know, for certain, you’ll even make it to lunch. And without the hope of life after death, that uncertainty will only lead to torment. And even though most people in the world ignore the solution to that problem, it’s so easy to avoid. But the solution requires humility. The kind of humility that selfish people don’t wanna think about.

Humility that says there IS a God of creation, you’re NOT Him, and He IS the source of faith, hope, and love.

Most people who read what I write or listen to what I say already know this. But if you just happened to land on my website, or someone else sent you this message, maybe you need to hear that your problems DO have a solution. And if it makes sense and you want the problems solved, don’t put it off. Remember…

“Enjoy this peaceful, wonderful day, and don’t take it for granted. Because, one of these days, you might be my age and most of, or all of, the people you love will be gone for good.”

There’s no difference when going first to last.

(from the song of the same name)

By the way I can always use your support to help me keep the nearly 3000 posts I’ve shared on my website available to the world that needs to see and hear about the one, true, living, loving God of creation. So, see if one of my books suits your fancy. Get one for yourself or for someone you love. Here’s a link to check ‘em out:

(https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B008R08LUG/allbooks)

Stay tuned,

The post These days will be gone. Will you go on? appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

With all the randomness in the universe, and our cute, little solar system, it’s a wonder that we can predict the moon phases with such accuracy. But we’re so good at it (and by “we” I mean earthlings) that we name the phases. And we know when they’re gonna happen. And we even know the best places to view them.

Nothing short of miraculous.

Well, not with regularity anyway. But here we are. About to enjoy another Buck Supermoon. (Is it just me, or does that sound like the name for a Saturday morning cartoon hero?) Yep, a Supermoon that occurs right around the time the antlers on buck deer are growing. That’s a phase you can hang your hat on.

Anyway…

There’s supposed to be a Buck Moon in full view tonight. July 2, 2023 as I write this. And it’s this year’s first supermoon. Depending on how you do the timing, it’s anywhere from this evening to tomorrow morning.

But, as I said, we can actually pinpoint the moon phases with such accuracy it’s nothing short of uncanny in this random existence in which we find ourselves. Check out this description from a science website:

“The Earth-facing side of the moon will be fully lit by the sun at 6:40 a.m. EDT on Monday, July 3, but it will be best viewed at moonrise the previous evening as it appears in the southeastern sky. It will be in the constellation Sagittarius, and will appear bright and full on the nights of July 2 and 4 as well.”

Like how astronomers know that every month, in the moon’s elliptical orbit of Earth, it has a point of perigee and a point of apogee. Just a fancy way of saying when it’s closest to Earth and when it’s farthest away from Earth. And they know the distance between those points ranges from 225,800 to 251,800 miles. So, knowing all that, they can tell you when supermoons will happen.

By the way, the Buck Supermoon, this month, is gonna be the smallest one this year. So, if you really wanna be impressed, stick around for the two supermoons in August and one in September.

In case you can’t tell, or you don’t know me, NO, I don’t get goosebumps because of the miracles of moon phases. Because there aren’t any such miracles. But I AM thrilled to know how dependable those phases are. And how dependable the rest of our cozy solar system is.

Because that dependability points to a designed system. Not a result of randomness. No, randomness could never, in trillions of years (much less a few billion) have created the precision we can observe. So, when I look up at a moon that looks bigger than usual, I think about Who put it there.

And it reminds me of these words: “Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.” (You can find that in the very first paragraphs of the Bible.)

Which was a 24 hours day, by the way. Not potential eons of time. And that’s a rabbit trail that leads me to a book for kids that talks about the very first six days. Matter of fact, it’s called The Very First 6 Days. What a colossal coincidence. Here’s a clip, from the book, about the very first day…

Before there were created things

He looked down at the waters

Then God divided light and dark,

Get the rest of the book on Amazon. Digital download or paperback.

Stay tuned,

The post Moon phases and my mind glazes appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

When I was a kid, there was a show on TV called Hee Haw. And every weekend, through the summer, I remember the family gathered around the TV set to watch all that “cornpone” humor. It was hosted by Roy Clark and Buck Owens. And Buck Owens is the guy who sang “Tiger By The Tail.”

Now, keep in mind, I’m basically not a country music fan. Especially what’s trying to pass itself off as country music these days. But I was raised in the midwest, mid south, and south. So, there was no way to avoid it all together. And I DO get a kick out some of the old songs.

It was a hit back when songs didn’t always try to have a political message. Or lyrics focused on who’s hookin’ up with who (or is that whom?). In fact, lyrics didn’t have to be deep at all. Just catchy. Like these from the chorus of Buck’s song:

I’ve got a tiger by the tail, it’s plain to see.

You might not believe this, but whole families used to sit around the TV, together, and listen to stuff like that. And just in case it doesn’t sound cool, get this. Dean Martin, aka: Mr. Cool, had Buck Owens on his TV show, and he sang that song with Buck. You don’t have to believe me. But it’s on YouTube, so there.

I took a different spin on the tiger tail idea.

In the first song, off my Kiddin’ Around collection of songs for kids, I said “Don’t grab a tiger by the tail.” And I followed that up with “Don’t go dancin’ with a whale.”

Yeah, that song is filled with lots of advice on what you shouldn’t oughta do. And I remember how kids laughed when I sang it for them at a Christian school outdoor get-together a few years ago.

Lyrics to all the songs in the collection are on the first pages. Then there are characters to color. And then there are blank pages for drawing. But the best part is the secret link to download all the songs that go with all those lyrics. And right now I have a limited supply of autographed copies of the book.

Get one for your kids today: https://www.tonyfunderburk.com/kiddin-around-book

And just in case you doubt the Dean Martin, Buck Owens connection, here they are on YouTube:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBDezyqHG60)

Stay tuned,

The post Tiger by the tail and boy that cat could wail appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

I just read a short article about a Milky Way black hole problem. And you’d better brace yourself. Because this is a serious problem. Here’s a snippet from that article:

“A black hole with millions of times more mass than the sun is hurtling towards Earth and will one day wipe out life as we know it. The black hole is speeding towards us at 110 kilometres per second and is at the centre of the Andromeda Galaxy.”

The article made sure you understand that the Andromeda Galaxy is huge. And it continued with this:

“Located just 26,000 light-years away. And as we speak, it’s in the process of tearing apart entire stars and star systems, occasionally consuming them, adding to its mass like a voracious shark. Due to the size of Andromeda however, there is only going to be one winner when it smashes into the Milky Way.”

Because evidently, according to the article, most galaxies have a “supermassive black hole which stars swirl around and helps keep everything in formation.” (side note: I think it’s funny when so-called scientists, who believe the evolution origin theory, use words like formation.)

Anyway…

Our own Milky Way’s black hole is no small matter. The article I read describe it like this. “And not just any black hole, it’s a supermassive black hole with more than 4.1 million times the mass of the Sun.”

Whoa! That’s huge. So it’s gotta have a negative impact on us. Right? If not right away, at least some time in the future. Yeah, writer of that article said, “we are safe for now.” But he added, “Panic will happen when the Milky Way collides with Andromeda in about 4 billion years.”

I don’t know about you. But as for me and my household, we’re gonna start freezing a lot more grass fed beef. And we’re gonna add to our solar panel supply. Hey, I was a boy scout. Be prepared is my motto.

Oops. That’s misogynistic and transphobic. Oh well, so be it.

Wait a sec. Come to think of it, I don’t believe I’m gonna let all that panic affect me and my household. Matter of fact, I (we) choose to trust in the Creator of all the galaxies in the universe. And He (that would be Jesus) holds the universe together. Science fiction “scientists” don’t have a clue about that glue.

So, I (and my household) have confidence, hope, and peace about the Milky Way. Even if it has a supermassive black hole, we’ll never be vacuumed into it. Never.

And that’s why I could compose a composed and peaceful lullaby song called “Milky Way Bouquet.” And I confidently included it in a collection of lullabies and put them all in a book. Because I believe, at least for a while longer, our galaxy is stable enough to build, create, and sell books.

If you have little ones, you should be playing the Lullabye Bye collection for them at bedtime. And you can get all those songs, in a secret link, inside the Lullabye Bye coloring and drawing songbook. Links to get it on Amazon are below. Order yours today. Prime members get free delivery.

Through the trillion trails of starlight

Stay tuned,

Here’s the funny looking link to Lullabye Bye on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Lullabye-Bye-Tony-Funderburk/dp/B08BWFWSLN/

The post Milky Way black hole will never get my soul appeared first on Tony Funderburk.