OK kiddos from 3 to 103. I’ll just let you know, right up front, that I’m here for you. Because I know that you fit into one of these categories. You are the:

And maybe you’ve even come up with something else you think describes your effervescent and irresistible personality. If so, good for you. Or is it, good ON you these days? No matter.

And I bet just knowing that relaxes you to your very soul. Right? Yeah, because until I popped into your email inbox, you were fretting about something. And you know what they say about fretting, don’t you? Well, I don’t know what they say. But I’m sure it isn’t complimentary or reassuring.

Anyway…

Back to why and how I’m here for you.

I’m here for you because you need a break from the negativity, vulgarity, and instability of the news and the “newsmakers.” And you need a reason to smile, forget about who said what about whom, and just remember that God is gonna make everything beautiful, bright, and completely right again one fine day.

I had some special words I wanted to share with you about that. But I seem to have misplaced them. I’ve searched under my computer. Down the side of my desk. And even under my cap. But the words appear to have vanished into thin air (because nothing vanishes into thick air).

Well, there’s my quandary. My dilemma, plight, and predicament.

Did I put the words in a bag

© 2014 Tony Funderburk

As always, thanks for joining me on another ride on the rails of Rhyme and Reason.

Before you go, jump on the The FunderFlash. And join the growing band of believers who enjoy my books, daily rhymes, songs, and videos about the Rhyme and Reason and power of God’s love.

Stay tuned…

The post Here for you but what DID I do? 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 FunderFlash.

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.

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.

I’m working on some animation to add to my ebooks for kids…

Don’t get me wrong…I doubt I’ll be giving Pixar a run for their money. But I’m having a very good time learning these new animation skills. In case you hadn’t noticed…kids love animation. And they also love cartoons. And there’s more and more research showing how ebooks for kids with animation or other multimedia are very popular.

So…I figured it was high time I took my illustrations to the next level.

I’m on the beginning edge of this…as you can tell from my “stylish” video…but even adding basic movement to my stories brings a deeper, more immersive dimension. And I want to capture as much of a kid’s imagination as possible.

Of course, there are some who say providing the visuals actually diminishes the imagination of a child. I disagree…but…

What do you think?

Stay tuned,

Share this link with everybody you know, so they can jump on the The FunderFlash

The post Animation And eBooks For Kids appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Imagine if you couldn’t hear your heartbeat…

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…and that’s the predicament young Henry Hippo found himself in. He couldn’t hear his heartbeat, and he was pretty sure it was pretty important to have a heartbeat. So, he decided to do something about it.

Back when I was attending the Institute of Children’s Literature, I had an assignment to write a story using an animal as the lead character. After a few starts with other animals I came up with a hippo. I noticed hippos weren’t being used all that much in children’s writing.

So…Henry was “born”.

I figured most of the youngest kids would understand how important it is to be able to hear your heartbeat. I’ve seen how interested they are to lean their ears on their mom or dad’s chest and hear a beating heart. Then, they get curious about “what’s going on in there?”. Then I wanted to use an animal whose ears would be a long way from his heart…and bingo! A hippo.

Once I knew I wanted to develop this story into a picture book, the plot thickened…so to speak. I began to think about where I’d find an illustrator I could work with. After looking into several areas online and locally, I decided to give it a go myself. I got a digital drawing tablet, installed some software on my MacBook, and started my “etchings”. The great news was that it was a blast…not a chore at all. So I emerged myself into the drawings for “Henry”, his hippo friends, and all the other characters and scenery. I was hooked. Now, there’s the illustrated ebook, the song (in the video above), and even my personal narrated audio version.

Currently I’m working on the 7th one of my ebooks for kids. And I’m truly blessed and thankful for the technology that gives me the freedom to pursue this really fun writing career. Much more to come, so…

Stay tuned,

Share this link with everybody you know, so they can jump on the The FunderFlash

The post Your Heartbeat…can you hear it? appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

If you like the Amazon Kindle platform for reading ebooks for kids, then you’ll probably really like the new Kindle Paperwhite. (watch the video review)

I’ve already published two ebooks for kids on the Kindle publishing platform, and I’m in the middle of illustrating my third, “Music Pajamas“. If you already have a Kindle or if you get the new Kindle Paperwhite, please check out my ebooks and let me know how they look and perform on your device.

(this product is no longer available) 

Subscribe to my FunderFlash Journal. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

The form can be filled in the actual website url.

Stay tuned,

The post Read My eBooks For Kids On Kindle Paperwhite appeared first on Tony Funderburk.