One week in (as of tomorrow). So how did 2025 start out for you?

I hope so. Because you need your health. It’s not just something that’s nice to have around. It’s the core essential to anything you do. But, as I’ve said for decades, your health is best served by YOU.

So, put down that diet cola (super awful for you) and repeat after me. I want to be healthy. ( I want to be healthy). I need to be healthy (are you repeating after me?). If I’m not healthy, I’m no good to anyone (say it…it’s true). And when I’m healthy, I can overcome blocks in my mind, body, and work.

OK. Do you believe it? Great. Because that’s where REAL healthcare starts.

That stuff trying to pass itself off as healthcare ain’t gonna cut it. And I’m talkin’ about the lunacy found in 99% of doctor’s offices, clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies. Those places have a vested interest in (meaning it serves their pocketbooks) “maintaining your health.” Which is just a code phrase to cover their methods of medicating your symptoms.

Yeah, they’ll give you stuff to make you FEEL better. But nothing to make you actually better.

So, believe and chew on this. You eat fast food everyday. You don’t exercise. And you definitely don’t drink enough water. Or even when you’re drinking it, it’s mixed with tea or coffee. And you think you can take your little one-a-day so-called “vitamins” and keep the bad times away.

You gotta work hard to stay well. People depend on you to be and do your best. And when you constantly struggle with your health, it’s stressful on you AND them.

Did you ever see that commercial where a guy didn’t know how to get dressed or make breakfast or even get in his car? And it urned out that he gave up smoking. So, he had to re-learn how to do everything without a cigarette in his hand.

Don’t be like that guy. Live well. Be well. Stay well. Start now. Be happy. Grin. It’s good for you. And you’ll keep your mind free to think up and do great things for you AND your loved ones.

So, this is still the easiest time to track your progress and make your moves. My hope for you (and me) is that persistence plays a bigger role. And better self care choices produce better results.

I wrote this for kids. But it applies to all us so-called “grownups.”

Healthy Habits Are For Kids

Little things you do each day

Once you see the benefit, join the growing body of believers who’ve already signed up for the FunderFlash Journal. And I’ll send you daily flashes of light so we can stay focused on faith, hope, and love.

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You have enough to think about today. So, don’t add tomorrow’s worries to today. And that’s not just some anecdotal thing I came up with. It’s advice that can also be found in red letters in the Bible. (for those of you unfamiliar with the Bible, red letters are used when it’s Jesus talking)

But think about tomorrow for a second or two. It never really gets here. Right? It’s always “out there.” Somewhere beyond the next sunrise. Somewhere in the future. The future is coming. Always getting here. But it never actually gets here either. Because that slippery tomorrow always manages to fade away from your grasp the second the clock strikes midnight.

So, today is the only day you can actually do anything about. Tomorrow isn’t here yet, and yesterday is over and done with. And, since today is the only time you actually live in, shouldn’t your focus be on what you can do today? Of course, that should be a rhetorical question. But sadly too many people are so fearful of what the future holds they let today slip away.

And when today slips away, what does it become? Tomorrow? Nope. It immediately becomes yesterday. A saying I coined many years ago is this: “Today is yesterday’s tomorrow and tomorrow’s yesterday.” I’ve seen a lot of people use some version of it. But I never see any royalties.

Anyway…

Time is really a weird thing, isn’t it? When Jesus said “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things“, it was to illustrate how futile it is to worry about tomorrow. So futile, in fact, that we should let tomorrow worry about itself. Hmm…can a tomorrow do that? Well, I’ve certainly got enough to think about today. So, I’m not gonna worry about it. How about you?

The things you want to do

(from a mournful song I wrote in 1978: Tomorrow Never Came To Me)

Once you see the benefit, join the growing body of believers who’ve already signed up for the FunderFlash Journal. And I’ll send you daily flashes of light so we can stay focused on faith, hope, and love.

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Every year, there are highly effective assassins paid off roughly 500 million, in your tax dollars, to make sure innocent, preborn babies never see the light of day.

Yeah, that group is well- organized, well-funded, and well-equipped to kill over 300,000 little children every year. Let’s face it. They get the job done. So, why would anybody wanna rock that boat? Especially when it means men and women can live promiscuously without consequences.

About 10 years ago I wrote about how Jesus said we should let our charitable deeds be done in secret. Well, it really shouldn’t be difficult to see how killing unborn children hardly falls under the category of charitable deeds. But, I think the group, ironically named “Planned Parenthood”, believes they’re doing charitable work because they’re somewhat secretive about their deeds.

Wouldn’t it be great if politicians, especially those who say they’re against abortion, made sure that no one ever got paid off again for killing innocent, unborn children?

But what does it take to stop that from happening?

First, please speak up. Use whatever means you have. Because saying and doing nothing will make sure that “legal precedent” continues to cast its dark shadow over what’s right.

Then, don’t support any politician or candidate who would support the abortion status quo.

Sadly, I don’t think many will take my advice. Because the paid off worldview is so darn convenient. Well, maybe not for the unborn children. But, hey, as long as there are no other consequences, then it’s just the price of doing business. Right?

It’s a worldview that’s not for me and you.

(from my song “Worldview”)

Once you see the benefit, join the growing body of believers who’ve already signed up for the FunderFlash Journal. And I’ll send you daily flashes of light so we can stay focused on faith, hope, and love.

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It was four years ago, to the day, today. And a few minutes ago I ran across something I shared that day. I can see it, in my mind’s eye, almost as clearly as if I were looking right at it right now. And that’s even though my location is about as different, now, as night is from day.

I talked about how I was using my iPhone as my computer that morning, in sync with my small, foldable, bluetooth keyboard. And I had my computer, oops iPhone, propped up nicely on a little “drawer” in the dash of my mobile office which was my little blue Toyota truck.

So, I mentioned how I could see a fairly long stretch of the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Blue skies, snow-capped peaks, and a few swatches of white clouds drifting by.

It was an early winter day in the early part of 2021. And, yep, January 3rd to be exact. I appreciated the fact that I could sit there soaking in the scenery AND share it with you on my small, portable devices. What a blessing, in a never-ending series of blessings that come with living in the digital age.

And I called ’em blessings as I pointed to a day, not all that long ago in the past, when none of that would have been possible. NONE! But these days you can share ideas, images, words, music, and even videos literally with the world. Almost instantaneously.

Skip the publisher’s rules and arbitrary methods. Skip the hassles of waiting for printing and binding and distribution. And skip the need for bulky, loud, and unreliable equipment.

Yeah, these days you just whip out the little device you carry with you all the time, open up your favorite word processor or video recorder, and blast out your thoughts.

The information and resources to do all this have been here on our little blue planet since the day it was made.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Yeah, every single thing you and I ever needed, to be able to type words on a little keyboard and have them show up on a small screen (connected through the air) has been here our whole lives. And for the whole history of the world.

The only thing lacking, until this time in history was the know-how. An understanding of what does what.

And I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s part of why God tells us to get understanding. Matter of fact, He says “in all your getting, get understanding.” But He adds a caveat just before that when He says “Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore get wisdom.”

And that’s because humans tend to have an uncanny knack for messing up a good thing. So many people immediately look for (or stumble into) a way to corrupt or pervert the very things that make their lives better and easier. And it’s almost impossible to avoid being one of those people without wisdom.

No, I’m sure you’re just as much in awe over the ability to have a tiny, mobile office as I am. And I’m sure you wanna use your technology and gifts and talents to help others get and maintain an eternal perspective on life.

If so, I encourage you to look for opportunities to serve others. Starting today, if you haven’t already. And help them get to the day when they understand. And realize how they wouldn’t be able to enjoy any entertainment or business applications on their smartphones, laptops, or TV’s, if God hadn’t put all the information here in the first place.

Okay, for today, look for wisdom from The Way.

Once you see the benefit, join the growing body of believers who’ve already signed up for the FunderFlash Journal. And I’ll send you daily flashes of light so we can stay focused on faith, hope, and love.

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Biblical knowledge is available to anyone who’s interested in finding out more. And the key points, and truth, of the Bible are easy enough to understand that even a child can learn about the love of our Creator. And that’s more important to know and understand than anything else anyone will ever learn.

Thankfully, Biblical knowledge is still boldly shared all over the internet. At least it is here in America. I’m sure other places in the world still “allow/tolerate” it. But, as an example of what’s shared here in America, I saw some interesting comments on social media today. Like this one:

“One of the biggest lies in society and unfortunately even in much of the church, is that everyone is basically good, rather than the biblical truth that there is NONE who are good except Jesus. That everyone is deserving of hell. That’s why a lot of what the Bible calls sin is justified, because people think – ‘well he’s a good person, why shouldn’t he be happy and allowed to be gay’ etc. This thinking leads to a lack of fear of the Lord, as well as a lukewarm passion for Jesus and a lack of absolute thankfulness that He saved us!!”

And that guy shared that post in response to a quote, by Jonathan Edwards, another guy shared. The quote is, “Almost every natural man that hears of hell flatters himself that he shall escape it.” And the guy who shared the quote added, “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Another post I saw showed wisdom and discernment you only get with Biblical knowledge. A young woman shared this, “Parents in Canyon, Texas call it a win after the Bible is allowed back in the school’s library. But if the school spends 7-8 hours every day teaching an anti-biblical worldview, what did they win? Christians should take their CHILDREN out of the secular, Marxist government schools. That’s how you win.”

Yes, it is.

And then, you’ll get plenty of the convoluted Biblical knowledge, too. Like this post from someone who uses the handle, Biblical and Reformed (red flag alert). This person simply quoted from scripture in order to justify an incorrect predestination position. He posted, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined, He also called. And those whom He called, He also justified, and those whom He justified, He also glorified.”

I remember having a discussion with my mom, many moons ago, about how her idea that everything that happens was pre-ordained by God. And she found that very scripture and read it to me. So, I asked her one simple question.

“Mom, who did God NOT foreknow?”

And then I asked her to apply the implications of the answer to that question to her predestination position. I saw the light flicker in the eyes of her understanding. But then, just as quickly, I saw the regurgitation of all those years of flawed Biblical knowledge flood back into her head.

I saw a post that dared to say the TV series, “Yellowstone isn’t just a show it’s a blueprint for what it means to be a real man. This modern Western dives deep into masculinity, responsibility, and legacy. Let’s break it down through a biblical lens and see what every man can learn from the Duttons.” Ay yi yi!

I’ve never watched that show, but video snippets pop up all over the place. And they almost alway include a LOT of profanity and sexualized content. But the guy who posted that followed up with what he considers supportive info. Like this post, “If you’re a Christ follower, you can spot Christ in the series and movies get ready for some powerful lessons.”  (his writing, not mine)

And that just ain’t so. Because it’s not Biblical or Christ-like to do so many anti Christ things but add a “redemptive” twist and call it good.

I know my Biblical knowledge doesn’t have the mass appeal of what passes for knowledge in the pop culture. But I’m totally confident that Jesus doesn’t think Yellowstone is a good show for Christians to watch.

Look, I get it. It’s good to see strong (even “white”) men portrayed in this day and age when soy boys rule so much. But I recommend your role models be Jesus, Paul, and the other patriarchs of the Bible.

So, maybe you don’t need any of this info. If that’s the case, then, as they say in Poland, Nessun problema. Continua con la tua giornata, ci sentiamo più tardi.

Everything is for a reason.

(from my song, A Thousand Times, NO)

Once you see the benefit, join the growing body of believers who’ve already signed up for the FunderFlash Journal. And I’ll send you daily flashes of light so we can stay focused on faith, hope, and love.

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What I’m about to share probably isn’t for you. But I can almost guarantee it’s good for someone you know or care about. It’s something I shared with others a few years ago. And I asked them this question: If I told you to leave your troubles behind and move forward, what would you do? Get mad at me and say “NO!” Would you tell me I can’t possibly understand your troubles, so I don’t have the right to tell you such a thing? Well, what if I told you this message is from God? Would you say yes, then?

Yeah, read the New Testament. I promise it won’t hurt. And it’ll show you how no one gets through this life without troubles. In fact, Jesus himself said there WILL be tribulation (which is big trouble) in this life. He didn’t say maybe there will be. He said there WILL be!

So, does that mean you respond with exasperation, frustration, or consternation? Nay. Nay. And again I say nay. On the contrary. It’s much better (in fact, it’s freedom) to leave your troubles behind and keep “reaching forward for those things which are ahead.” Time only moves in one direction. And that’s the direction to focus.

That’s what I shared with those others a few years ago.

Now. Today is the first day of a brand new year (2025). So, it’s an ideal (because nothing’s perfect) day to say yes to moving forward with your feet and mind planted firmly in the here and now. Because the here and now are the only place and time you can actually DO anything. The past is gone. And the future doesn’t exist.

So, Happy New Year, and leave your troubles behind. Because it’s the right thing to do. And it’s healthful for you.

Keep your eyes on the prize. And, just to reaffirm, that prize is your Creator. I wrote (and then rewrote) a song about moving forward with action and confidence. In a way it’s the most selfish sounding song I’ve ever written. Because Every. Single. Line. starts with I’m. But it’s actually filled with the exhilaration you can get when you trust God.

I’m gonna dance through this life.

I’m gonna climb to the top.

I’m gonna leave my cares and troubles far behind.

I’m gonna get to the passion.

I’m gonna sing through this life.

I’m gonna leave my cares and troubles far behind

© 2018 Tony Funderburk

Once you see the benefit, join the growing body of believers who’ve already signed up for the FunderFlash Journal. And I’ll send you daily flashes of light so we can stay focused on faith, hope, and love.

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It was about 2,000 years ago. And today doesn’t mark the exact day and time. But that’s another topic for later. Nevertheless some shepherds were on the job, whatever day and time it was. And their job was to watch over their flock of sheep. As they stood under the night sky, a host of angels appeared and told them to follow that curious light, they had noticed in the sky, to where it pointed. So, the shepherds followed that guiding star to Bethlehem to find out more about the story.

They discovered a man and his wife spending the night in a livestock pen with their newborn Baby in a manger. And for some strange reason, the shepherds believed what they were told about this Child. Which was that He was God in the flesh. Can you imagine? Yeah, that would qualify as a mighty big deal. At least if it was true.

Apparently that Child was who He was claimed to be. Because all these years later, we still talk about, sing about, and celebrate that Person born in a manger. And, as a matter of worldwide fact, all of history revolves around His life.

But wow! How awesome it would have been to be there that night? Well, something that will be even more awesome and glorious will be to live in Paradise forever getting to know that Person we Christians call Jesus. He came to earth to be born as a real human baby. Then, He grew into a real human man. Then, He suffered a real human death. But He resurrected after 3 days to show us what could be true for any and all trust Him. And all because He loves us.

Since I don’t see myself as all that lovable, it does my heart good to re-read the story from time to time. And at this Christmas time of year, it’s particularly good to share it with others. I hope you will too. Merry Christmas 2024.

What made You think

You made a world

Because You love me so…in spite of all You know…

You put a life

I can live because You live!

© 2010 Tony Funderburk

Once you see the benefit, join the growing body of believers who’ve already signed up for the FunderFlash Journal. And I’ll send you daily flashes of light so we can stay focused on faith, hope, and love.

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It’s so cool how fast little kids learn to talk. You’re so young when you start talking that your parents have to tell you about your first words. My mom told me I spoke way before I was a year old. But you know how moms are. And I’m more the strong, silent type. So, I tend to believe I waited till I had valuable information to share before I started spouting anything out.

And even though that sounds like bragging, it’s true. Because it’s true of all newborns. Kids get all goo-goo gah-gah over letters and sounds because they see and hear adults.

Yeah, you and I learned to talk mostly by watching adults.

It’s amazing when you get right down to it. You’re born with the ability to make sounds. But those sounds don’t mean anything. At least not to the adults who listen to your gibberish. But what if that gibberish is somehow connected to your Designer? Yeah, what if God is still wirelessly connected to you when you’re a newborn. And what if He sends you the code and decode “software” to decode your parents’ language?

And what if you’re then able to re-code that language into your own unique voice?

I’m not saying that’s how it happens. Just that it’s cool to consider.

Now, think about how the English language is basically only twenty-six letters. And think about how we’ve managed to put together thousands and thousands of words from those twenty-six letters.

I love the simplicity in the design. The extra cool thing is, you don’t have to do anything special to an infant to get them to understand us.

They’re already “hard-wired” for language. Of course, that’s no surprise to anyone with a Christian worldview. The Designer knows what He’s doing. And so all you gotta do is act naturally.

Ever since I found my I’ve manipulated and formulated letters into words. And words into music. And I still find the whole process fascinating. I’ll never get tired of it or bored with it. What about you? Does language fascinate you? Do you pass that awe and wonder on to the little ones who watch you to learn to talk?

Letters and sounds go together…

With a voice we can talk to each other,

We only need twenty-six letters

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I enjoy listening to Elon Musk. Especially since he bought Twitter, which he now calls X, and allowed free speech on that platform. And he seems to truly love America. So, he’s got that going for him, too. Obviously he’s a highly intelligent and financially successful guy. But I wish he wasn’t so stupid when it comes to human existence.

Here’s a quote, from him, that shows why I say that.

“The universe appears to be, like, 13.8 billion years old. Earth is about 4.5 billion years old. In another half billion years, or so, the sun will expand. And probably evaporate the oceans. And make life impossible on Earth. Which means that if it had taken consciousness 10% longer to evolve, it would never have evolved at all.”

But why would such a smart guy say things so stupid when he clearly has access to tons of data? Data that clearly shows the contrary evidence all around. Elon even wonders how many “dead one civilization planets there are out there.” He figures there are “probably a few.” Plus, he described Earth as “a mode of dust suspended in a beam of sunlight.”

Yeesh. At least he got the “suspended” part correct. And that’s something the Bible said, thousands of years ago, about our little life-filled orb.

I think it’s so sad to see how all of Mr. Musk’s education and achievements have led him to such conclusions. Because they only increase his separation from the Maker of Heaven, Earth, the sun and its beams. And that’s so stupid.

Elon’s worldview, that most people on the planet share, is ultimately one of hopelessness. Imagine believing that you’re just another creature who lived out your life on a mode of dust. In a beam of sunlight from a sun that’s just gonna expand and burn up that mode of dust.

Consciousness did NOT evolve. And this so-called “mode of dust” is almost three-fourths covered in water. And that sun is at an almost perfectly optimum distance from Earth. It’s burning out one day. But if it had been around billions of years, do you realize how much larger it would have been way back then? Let’s just say our little “mode of dust” would have been burnt to a crisp.

Those are only 3 points of contention and evidence that should lead a thinking person to at least wonder how all of existence could happen accidentally. Design is in the smallest cell. And in the largest system, the universe.

Self-defeating arguments can be found everywhere in this world that does its best to erase God. And they like to do that in the name of so-called intellect and science. But, to shake my spear of intellect a little, therein lies the rub. Because there wouldn’t be any intellect or science without an uncaused First Cause.

In other words, everything did not come from nothing.

Take the Creator of the universe out of the equation and it’s no surprise how dark the future appears.

So, here’s my suggestion.

And examine the overwhelming evidence of His existence in all of creation. There are thousands of ancient manuscripts. And archeological discoveries. There are prophecies realized. And there are almost limitless science and statistical probabilities connected to one man named Jesus.

So, it’s definitely not so stupid to “glory in the Lord.”

Because you live on a planet,

Join the growing body of believers who signed up for the FunderFlash Journal. And receive daily, delightful dashes of salt and flashes of light from the power of God’s love.

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The post So stupid, so smart, but which for which part? appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Your government’s budget (and every other part) is NOT operating on or in a just and wise system. And if you ran your household like politicians run this country, you’d be a dead duck already.

I read, somewhere, that Andrew Jackson first used the expression, dead duck, in the 1840’s to describe a political opponent. And I don’t know if that’s true. But, based on other things I’ve read about that former president, it sounds plausible.

Anyway…

Yeah, your household couldn’t, and wouldn’t survive, the kind of deficits your country has. Here’s something I wrote, years ago, about how reasonable taxation could help you be more creative.

~ If we took enough from every taxpayer (say about 5%) and spent it on only those things that benefit the country, we’d have beautiful bridges, smooth roads, and strong defense against all enemies. And lots more time for creative endeavors and innovations. ~

Can you imagine how much nicer (and budget friendly) it would be to drive on smooth roads all the time? And how much safer you’d be if all our bridges were maintained they way they should be? Not to mention (be here I go mentioning) how much safer we’d all be if our enemies knew they’d be a dead duck to try to stand up to our strength.

A long time ago. It didn’t just happen in the last four years. Sure, the last four years have been some of the most disastrous in American history. But the system that got us here started over 100 years ago.

Years ago I described what we now have like this:

~ Instead we have a tax system that only the trained professionals and lawyers can understand. And it makes for “class” envy, fraud, and political skimming. Not to mention that our tax system has become a Robin Hood money laundering machine. Take from those who work hard and give to those who don’t or can’t or won’t. You can call it whatever you want. But if private citizens did that, it would be called stealing. Just because the government has made laws and given the tax system involved and caring (yeah, right) names doesn’t change the fact that it’s stealing. ~

It’s ironic how many “conservatives” and “republicans” declare how they’ll fight to be sure America never becomes a socialist nation. Ironic because we’ve been a socialist nation for a long time. And those same Americans say how much they despise the people who say “you’ll own nothing and like it.” But that’s where we ARE. You and I effectively own nothing.

And, from what I can see, most people seem to like it.

For the record, I hate it.

Sometimes this world brings my bad side out.

(from my song, Never Neverland)

Let’s get to know each other better and stay connected. Join the growing body of believers who signed up for the FunderFlash Journal. And receive daily, delightful dashes of salt and flashes of light from the power of God’s love.

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