American kids, in the middle of the 20th century, used to love the sound of the ice cream man’s truck coming down the street. At least all the kids I knew did.

If you’re old enough to remember the 50’s, 60’s, or 70’s (and maybe 80’s), maybe that’s a nice memory for you, too. Yeah, we could hardly wait to flag down the ice cream man in front of our house and get him to open up the back of his truck where the tastebud treats were.

My favorite was the drumstick, a waffle cone filled with vanilla ice cream and frozen chocolate and nuts on top. And my second favorite was the frozen milkshake. It came with its own small wooden spoon. And the cup said, “spoon and dip or thaw and sip.” I never sipped.

You probably already guessed. Yeah, HOMEMADE! Woo-hoo!

Back then mom whisked up some sweet ingredients and gave the creamy, delicious mixture to dad to put in a metal container. Then dad would lower the metal container down into the wooden churning bucket. And he’d lock it in place, surround it with ice, add melting salt on the ice, and start rotating a metal crank. And the (naive) kids got to help.

Wow! Does that, or does that not sound like some magical fun?

But the real magic happened as the crank got harder and harder to turn. When it really wouldn’t turn much at all anymore, dad (and sometimes us kids) would stop and remove the container. We could hardly wait for the lid to be popped off so we could get some of ice cream in our bellies. Yuh-um!

The last week has been a scorcher here on the Emerald Coast (and probably in your area, too). So, I figured I’d just cool you off with some tasty memories and a little…

In the back of the freezer in mom’s refrigerator

Conjure up an ocean of chocolate and strawberries

Look, some rootbeer raindrops and a candy cane straw.

If you believe ice cream is one of God’s blessings, 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.

Stay tuned,

The post Ice cream man was part of the plan appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Nope, the future does not exist. But you can still pretty much take some things for granted. Typical things like the sun rising in the East tomorrow morning. But there’s really no guarantee that everything will be the way it’s always been.

So, there’s no reason to be upset with me for saying this about the future. I just share it to point out how important it is to get as much learning and understanding as you can. Understanding what makes human beings tic is a key to treating each other better. The future, utopian or dystopian, does not exist today.

That’s my point. Matter of fact, I’ll go one giant step further than that.

I believe if human beings would learn to enjoy serving one another instead of stealing from and murdering one another, that description you find in the Revelation, at the end of the Bible, wouldn’t have to come true. Nope. I don’t believe, for a second, that our loving Creator decreed all that before the foundation of the world. Yeah, I believe He would love to see it not come to pass. But, will it? It’s kinda like this…

Will the sun rise in the morning?

Will the songbirds all be singing?

Will some words of wisdom visit?

Will the world go on forever?

I challenge you to read that poem to your kids or grandkids. And when you do, by the time you get to the second verse, you can say well, maybe, and point to them. And don’t be surprised if they say maybe not. It’s just a theory I have. Test it out and see if those little rugrats substantiate my theory.

If you have a blessed hope for the future, 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 The future does not exist and I simply must insist appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Imagine a journey into one of the trillions of cells inside your body. One of the first things you’d notice is how many chemicals there are. Lots of those chemicals are acidic. And many others are known as base or alkaline. But guess what happens if some of the wrong chemicals get mixed up! Dangerous chemical reactions. And you don’t want that to happen down deep in your cells. So, what keeps that from happening?

If life just evolved, then all those barriers and buffers would have evolved, too. And how could they develop with all those chemical reactions destroying all the building materials? Plus, how could it all happen at just the right time in the right way? And for millions of different species? And enough times for a single cell to become something more complex? Short answer? It couldn’t happen that way. Accidents don’t create. But God does. And He did.

The Bible says you’re “fearfully and wonderfully made.” And that’s one of the great things about living in these times. Science and technology can see deeper inside us than ever. And what they discover is evidence for the Creator and how amazing He is to love us as He does.

Not evidence that a bunch of chemical reactions could create this complex life we enjoy.

If human life is just sown by chance, then

If you like this kind of Creator/creation connection, let’s stay connected, too. It’s super easy.

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. So, 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 Chemical reactions debunk certain distractions appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

It’s the only family that will last forever. So, there’s that. But there’s so much more to it that it’s difficult to even wrap your mind around it. And that’s pretty cool because as a child of God, the one, true, living, loving Creator of the universe, you’ll get to spend eternity discovering more and more about your original Father.

Many, if not most (or all in some way), families are dysfunctional. The simple definition of dysfunctional is: not operating properly. And that certainly describes most families.

As little kids, my brother and I had to deal with the consequences of our parents’ divorce. So I know more than a little about dysfunctional life. When you have to travel a long distance across three states to leave one of your parents and go see your other parent, that’s definitely a family “not operating properly.”

I’ve actually heard people say they believe if everything is gonna be perfect, then Heaven will be boring. Are you kidding me?! To quote a character from the movie “The Princess Bride”…

“I do not think that word means what you think it means.”

If something is perfect, then according to the dictionary it has “all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be” and it’s “free from any flaw or defect in condition or quality; faultless”

So there. If you can’t take God’s word for it, then at least take the dictionary’s. And if something is perfect, it can’t be boring or have any other fault.

Perfect function in your home in Heaven and in your forever family means you’ll never have to deal with the destructive, dysfunctional issues of life ever again. And that ain’t all. You’ll also never have to deal with death and dying and decay. Imagine living forever in a place of perfect love where disease and death doesn’t exist.

Now, tell the truth…wouldn’t you rather be a child of God instead of stewing in your own private universe with a population of one? I wrote a song about it…and sang it with a sweet, little girl a few years back. I’ll add the song on The Power of God’s Love Podcast. And, in the meantime, here are the lyrics…

I am not a silly chance…

I am not a spark of light

I am a child of God…child of the Living God…

I did not come out of slime.

Take a closer look and see

If this made you wanna be part of the family (or glad that you are), 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 Child of God sings about the perfect things appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Just about everywhere you look or go people seem to be mad about something. And a lot of them don’t seem to have any problem letting that anger, inside, out for everyone to see.

People are walking around with chips on their shoulders. That’s what we used to call it anyway. Or you could say they’re carrying grudges in their hearts. And that would be bad enough. But at least it would be invisible to just about everyone. Trouble is, they don’t stop the anger inside from coming out. And a lot of it even leads to escalated physical harm.

But I’ll let you in on a little secret about the root cause. Selfishness.

Yeah, selfishness is at the heart of almost all anger issues. It’s difficult to manage your anger, when all you care about is how he or she or the whole world wronged you.

And you find a way to justify your own anger, when you don’t take responsibility for your actions. I’ve been dealing with this with someone I’ve known for a very, very long time. He believes I’ve wronged him in the past (issues from 20 years ago and beyond). And he has told me I’ve never apologized or shown any remorse.

I’m not gonna share the whole sob story. But I can say with a clear conscience that this person has ripped me off multiple times, left me in the lurch multiple times, and F-bombed Jesus in my house. And, to this day, he’s never once apologized or shown any remorse for his actions. Some say this is narcissism. And I don’t disagree.

The person I’m talking about doesn’t care what God says about anger. But, to quote from Paul’s writing in Ephesians, “be angry and do not sin.” And when Paul wrote that, he was actually quoting from one of King David’s Psalms where it said, “Be angry, and do not sin, Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.”

But people obsess over problems, challenges, and obstacles in everyday life. That makes it easy to form a tunnel vision where the tunnel always leads to SELF.

And that leads to projecting those problems onto others. And that leads to self harm. Physical, mental, and emotional harm. You might not realize the full negative consequences of letting the anger inside out while you’re young and strong. But they’ll show up eventually. And the older you are, the more harmful the consequences.

I’m not saying those studies are absolutely true. But it might be more than coincidence that the rising rate of cancer in the world happens at the same time there are more angry people than ever.

So, what about you? What rules in your life? Anger? Or joy? I wrote this rhyme about it years ago…

If you’re angry, just don’t sin.

If this didn’t make you mad, 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 Anger inside out can take a harmful route appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

I’ve been encouraging anybody who would read what I write and listen to what I say to remain optimistic in tough times. But I don’t just say the words. I also share why it’s not just good advice. It’s important to your health down to the marrow of your bones.

The subject came up in my thoughts this morning for a particularly personal reason. Today, April 17, 2026 marks the one year “anniversary” of a stroke that challenged me to follow my own advice. But I believe I can honestly say that, despite challenges, I never dreamed I would face, I have remained optimistic in the tough times of the past year.

I won’t tell you what all the challenges were/are. But they include a left arm and hand that won’t hold things very well without wavering in the air. And a left leg that refuses to take normal steps during a walk. Plus most things on my left side operate with much less efficiency than they did a year ago. That includes my left lung and blood circulation on that side. And probably the weirdest thing that happened was the development of a neurogenic bladder.

Most of the information you’ll find on a neurogenic bladder deals with incontinence, urgency, etc. But what happened to me is something they call an under active bladder. And that means the nerves that alert you to the need to go and allow you to start a stream and go don’t work now. So, I have to insert a catheter four or five times a day, to empty out. Not my idea of a fun time.

And I’ve only shared this personal information with you because I hope it helps somebody understand how crucial it is to remain optimistic, even during rough times like what I described. I know it isn’t always easy. But it’s always necessary. And it’s always doable when you remember that, if you believe and trust in Jesus, one day, sooner than you might imagine, you will see Him…

When we’re born into this world,

Each and every one of us

Face to face with Truth…face to face with Life.

When we leave this world, we’re

Get my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. 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 Remain optimistic in tough times and I show you how with my rhymes appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Maybe you think of “A Christmas Story” when I share the term, BB gun. Or maybe you remember wanting one yourself once upon a time. Hopefully you’re not a scaredy cat who’s triggered (pun definitely intended) by any use of the word gun.

Once or twice upon a time Dad brought home a pellet rifle, he’d found during his workday, and gave it to my younger brother and me. OK, you probably think, “Tony, you’re supposed to be telling a BB gun story. What’s that got to do with a pellet rifle?”

Gosh, aren’t you the little detective? Sure, I know the two guns aren’t the same. But they are the same KIND. Because they both use air to fire off the ammo.

Anyway…

Dad had to work on the little rifle’s pump and trigger to get it to work well enough to use. And he did a great job because the gun worked just right after he finished. He even bought us a box of pellets. And we had some target practice for a few days till the pellets ran out.

Then, my brother and I took a quick bike trip to the sporting goods store nearby to get some more. But we discovered something extremely important. BB’s were a lot cheaper than pellets. And we figured since an air rifle can shoot either one, we’d go for the BB’s.

As long as we aimed at something straight across or up no problem. But we couldn’t shoot at anything that was down. Because, after loading a single BB in the barrel, it would just roll back out if it was pointed down.

Kinda silly. Right? Yeah, but hey. We saved who knows how many pennies by buying BB’s. So, it was totally worth it. And for a lot of the shooting we did, we could make do.

One time, during a bike and hike journey into the wilderness, we took the BB gun to get some practice shooting at bugs and limbs and other stuff. The wilderness was just some land that followed the path of a bayou down in South Texas. We had plenty of BB’s. And a couple of our buddies came with us. We all had a blast. And we were probably out there for a few hours.

But, as young boys often do, we all got hungry and knew it was time to go home. My brother discovered his bike had a flat. I told him I’d watch it for him, after one of our friends offered to give him a ride home to get a tire patching kit. So, he jumped on the bike with his buddy and they rode across the trail.

When they were about 75 yards away, I got a crazy notion to just aim the BB gun in the air and shoot in their direction. In my young mind of mush I had pictured the BB landing in the dirt somewhere just to spook ’em.

The BB fell out of the air and hit my brother on his neck. It wasn’t flying fast enough to break his skin. But I know it stung. Because he flew off the bike, turned around and saw me, and started running back at me yelling bloody murder.

If you were ever an older brother, or if you’re one now, you know how hard it would be to not laugh. Darn near impossible. But if you were ever the younger brother, or you’re one now, you can probably remember the frustration (and pain) of dealing with an older, bigger brother. Ah, good times.

OK, the morals of this story are:

Well, there you go. An epic story of adventure from back when epic stories of adventure happened daily. Hope you enjoyed it. If you say no, I’ll go see if I still have some BB’s around here somewhere.

Take a second and join the growing body of believers who’ve already signed up for the Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to 2 of my books and 2 songs, right away, that grownups AND kids can enjoy. Then, I’ll do my best to encourage you to sing a new song with the power of God’s love.

Stay tuned,

The post BB gun wasn’t fun when the exploring was done appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Regardless of what happens today, this weekend, or ever, hold on to the Truth. And just in case you didn’t catch it (but I bet you did), I capitalized the word, Truth. And I just did it again. Because I’m not talking about the truth that can be so manipulated in this world filled with lies and AI’s.

Because now, more than ever, that Truth is the only Way to be truly free. Uh-oh. Now I’ve gone and done it. I capitalized the word “Way.” And just in case you didn’t know it (but I bet you do), it’s capitalized because it’s THE Way. And THE Way is the same as THE Truth.

By the way, if you haven’t already found your Way to the Truth (but I bet you have), don’t put it off even one more minute. Planes falling from the sky in the past few days should show you (and I bet they do) how uncertain your amount of time, here on Earth, is. And that uncertainty should make you curious about all the eternal Life talk Christians are always sharing. If it doesn’t, I hope it doesn’t take a personal tragedy to make you curious.

You caught that capitalized word, Life, didn’t you?

Of course, now I’ve gone full circle. Because Jesus called himself “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” And He said He’s the only way to eternal life in Heaven. With all that’s going on, so far in 2025, I sure hope you’ve decided to take advantage of His amazing grace. I bet you have. But I bet you know someone who hasn’t. Tell ‘em time’s a-wastin’.

Back in 1985-86 I wrote a song called “Hold On.” I didn’t say to hold on to the truth. But the feel is still kinda there.

I would love to take you in my arms

But I wonder if there’s magic in my hands

Hold on; you know you gotta hold real tight

I would love to see your smiling face

Chorus

You got to keep believing in your choices

Repeat 1st verse and choruses to end

© 1986

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 faith, hope, and the power of God’s love.

Stay tuned,

The post Hold on to the Truth like permanent bluetooth appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Imagine yourself walking up to two big doors one cold morning in January. The door on the left is pure craftsmanship. It’s a rich, cobalt blue with pure silver handles and hinges. There’s a leaded crystal, mirrored window just high enough that you can only see the top of your head. The door on the right appears to be made of old, cracked, and peeling barn wood. The hardware is rusted, including large, bent nails protruding out next to the edges. There’s a clear window next to the top crosspiece with a fascinating red and white light glowing from within. You’re unsure which door to open to go inside and warm yourself, when suddenly a voice like a professional radio announcer says…

“Enter the door on the left, come inside, and relax. Everything your heart desires will be yours. Many servants await your arrival. Your comfort is their command. And your happiness is their pursuit.”

Your slightly hesitant hand turns the knob. But, then, another voice quietly whispers…

“Please, at least look inside the door on the right before you make your choice. There are no servants inside. But you’ll find someone who will walk with you and talk with you and listen to your problems day and night. He’ll ask you to work with him. But he’ll also bring you bread and wine, and you’ll never be hungry or thirsty again.”

So. Your choices are to work or be served. Which would you choose?

And it’s a world where you’re more important than anyone else. Your needs will be attended to before anyone else’s. You will be a king, or queen (the only two choices). And there will be none like you. Interested? Come on, now. Be honest. You’re tempted, right? It’s OK to admit it. Everyone else who’s ever lived, lives now, or will ever live knows the same temptation.

Because it’s beguiling to believe the lies you concoct about yourself. And it’s alluring to allow yourself to experience every pleasure. It’s almost irresistible to invite those inner voices to seduce you to surrender.

Now, what if I told you the door on the right opens into the love of God? Yes, it’s a place where you’ll work if you want to eat. Sometimes you might have to work so hard you feel you can’t go on. But it’s also a place where you’ll find rest. A rest that brings you the eternal life that can’t be found anywhere else in the universe.

How do you decide which door to open and go inside? Think big picture. NO, bigger!

The years you spend inside your aging, dying body are but a vapor when compared to eternity. Yes, eternity is the big picture. Where do you want to be FOREVER?

Maybe you don’t want my advice. But I recommend you choose to walk into the love of God.

Because He’s your only source of eternal life. And here’s something crucial to understand. God loves you so much He gives you your own will. You get to choose. He knows you might not choose Him. But He also knows that if He didn’t give you the freedom to choose, it wouldn’t be true love. So what do you choose?

Like the whispering voice said, “please, at least look inside the door on the right”. It’s the right choice. If the love of God, and living forever, sounds good to you. Don’t enter the door on the left where, like Seals and Crofts sang, you’ll be the miserable “king of nothing.”

Instead…

Do Right and risk the consequences.

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 some music and a book for kids right away. Then, I’ll send you daily flashes of light from the faith, hope, and the power of God’s love.

Stay tuned…

The post Door on the left is so bereft appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

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.