freedom Archives - Tony Funderburk

Wow. It’s America’s 250th birthday. And I bet there’s a good chance you get to enjoy an awesome fireworks display wherever you live. I hope you also get to enjoy the company of family and friends and good food and great fun. After all, on Independence Day, 2026 you can actually sing along to Saturday In The Park by the band Chicago, and the lyrics will actually fit.

I read somewhere that won’t happen again until the year 2037. I haven’t verified that. But it seems plausible. Because I sure don’t remember the last time it happened. And it might only mean something to boomers. But I think it’s cool.

Freedom of expression and creativity, the kind we’ve had in America for my whole life, is a big reason why happy, upbeat songs like that ever get written. But most people don’t know that our freedom didn’t start with a declaration of independence from England or a constitution.

And that’s why I take at least a moment on 4th of July to thank God for the ultimate freedom He gave us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Yep, without that, I doubt very seriously there’d even be an America that made it to Independence Day 2026.

Here’s my song, in a video, about how truly fortunate we are to live in a country whose founding fathers recognized a dependency on our Creator for our ultimate freedom.

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Happy and safe Independence Day 2026 to you. I hope and pray there will be more to come.

Faith working through love…

If you enjoy this kind of freedom, let’s stay connected. It’s super easy. Here’s how:

It’s good stuff based on the power of God’s love. And, I’ll send you download links to music and The Very First 6 Days (a rhyming book for kids about the creation week) right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies. Just add your email to the form and let’s connect right away.

The form can be filled in the actual website url.

Stay tuned,

The post Independence Day 2026 with a song in the mix appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Faith over fear. Make that your motto. Your creed. Or the sticky note you put on your computer. Whatever works.

Here’s one reason, I found in an article, about why it’s a good idea:

Hmm…sounds a little psychoanalytical. But here’s the rest of what they said:

“Faith encourages proactive behavior and resilience. When people have faith, whether in themselves, others, or in a higher power, they are more likely to take action despite uncertainties. And this can lead to personal growth, innovation, and community building. But fear often leads to inaction or defensive behaviors. And those can stagnate personal and collective progress. Faith inspires one to move forward. But fear might keep one stuck or retreating.”

OK. That’s a big nay-nay from over here in FunderWorld.

The article also said this about faith over fear:

Well, I see nothing wrong with doing that. So, how did they illustrate this?

“Faith provides a sense of peace, hope, and security. And it can act as a psychological buffer against stress and anxiety. Plus, it comforts in times of uncertainty or hardship. Studies have shown that faith or spiritual beliefs can correlate with better mental health outcomes. And that includes lower levels of depression and anxiety. But fear can contribute to chronic stress, anxiety disorders, and a host of other mental health issues. Because it comes from negative anticipation and worry.”

Yeah, that gets a big, fat goose egg on the Tone-O-Meter.

So, let’s see how they did with their final reason to choose faith instead of fear:

“Faith Fosters Connection and Community: Faith often leads to communal bonds through shared beliefs, rituals, or goals. This can create supportive networks where individuals feel part of something larger than themselves. And that fosters a sense of belonging and mutual support. So, these connections can be invaluable in times of personal or societal crisis. But even though fear can unite people in emergencies it more often isolates individuals. Because fear responses can be individualistic and survival-focused. And that can potentially lead to division rather than unity.”

Because not once did any of that information mention God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit. Nope. It was all selfish mankind focus. And it attempted to make it sound inclusive and thoughtful and intelligent. But that kind of thinking makes you foolish.

Because here’s the real reason faith over fear is superior. God says it is. In fact, it appears that there are 365 times, in the Bible where God says not to fear. Once for every day of the year. And since He knows, better than you and me, how things work, I have faith in that.

Well, your dead-end dreams left you lacking laughter

Take a second and join the growing body of believers who’ve already signed up for the Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. When you do, I’ll send you links to 2 songs and 2 books that adults AND kids enjoy right away. Then, I’ll send you flashes of light from the power of God’s love.

Stay tuned,

The post Faith over fear makes it bearable here appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Just so you know, right up front, I don’t believe humans turn into angels when they die. Because angels are not the same kind of creation. And they’re already created. And they’ll always BE angels. You and I are already created as human beings, to be that way forever.

Why would I write a poem about soldier angels? Well, actually I didn’t. But 10 years ago, I DID write a poem, in honor of Memorial Day and soldiers who died for our country, that sounded that way. But it’s metaphorical. Not to be mistaken as a belief that soldiers turn into angels.

Back then, I thought about how this world is another year closer to the end of this age. And I wanted to say how I’m thankful for the soldiers who give and gave so much to hopefully keep our country safe. So, I said “they’re like guardian angels for us in the here and now.”

And for those who gave their lives in that service I said, “They’re no longer guardian angels, but many of them live in the realm of angels.”

Then, I mentioned how “ironically many of those angels will be soldiers here on earth one day.” And I said they’ll be “fighting for the causes of freedom.” Because they’ll be fighting for the Truth that makes you free.

So, I used a rhythm I don’t typically use to write a rhyme about soldiers and angels. Even though human beings will never be angels, and angels will never be human beings, the soldier connection is a sad, yet glorious, reality. Here’s that rhyme I already created 10 years ago.

Soldiers, angels, walkin’ through the green grass

Soldiers, angels, hikin’ up the high road

Soldiers, angels, have left us a tutorial

Soldiers, angels…one becomes the other

Soldiers, angels…we can’t live without them

Stay tuned,

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Freedom is a right. That should be self-evident (as somebody once wrote). But apparently, for a lot of knuckleheads, that information just can’t make it past the knuckles in those heads. So, they toss freedoms out just like they toss their fast-food trash out their car windows.

Uh-oh…did I just end a sentence with a preposition. Well, that’s OK. Because I believe in the preposition that all men (and even some women, too) are created equal. In value. So, that gives me the freedom to end a sentence with for. Bam! I did it again.

Anyway…

I’ve written on the subject of freedom over 80 times here on TonyFunderburk.com. And one of those times I talked about how you gotta keep fighting for freedom since there are so many willing to just give it up. Just like they give up being real men and real women.

Here’s some of what I said, about the struggle, just four years ago…

(…too many people believe only the government can take care of everybody. Too many people are willing to give up freedoms in order to be given something they didn’t earn. And in order for the government to be able to give anything to certain people, it must first take from other people. Don’t know if you know it, but government doesn’t make money. It can only spend what it takes from its citizens. For infrastructure and the defense of its people that’s perfectly logical and reasonable. But to simply take money from some and give it to others is”stealing.

And stealing from hard workers is NEVER justifiable.

And all nations crumble when they remove freedom. Or limit it to the so-called “elite.”

America will be no exception to that rule. This country can only avoid that crumbling fate when the exceptional, liberty-loving citizens refuse to be victims of tyranny.

Open up, America.

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