Here are the links to the flashes of light, from the week of October 27-Nov 2, 2025. I shared in The TRUTH Journal and on the The Power of God’s Love Podcast Episode 1012:

* Brand new and the least I could do for you
* Patina paint on this here saint
* Pony expressed is not like the rest

Get The TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening 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.

Stay tuned,

Here are the links to the flashes of light, from the week of October 13-19, 2025 I shared in the TRUTH Journal and on the The Power of God’s Love Podcast Episode 1009:

* Time limit here on Earth and what you are worth
* The good times will outlast your present and past
* Nothing new under the sun but my last name starts with fun

Subscribe to my TRUTH Journal, the ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening 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.

Stay tuned,

Here are the links to the flashes of light, from the previous week, I shared in the TRUTH Journal and on the The Power of God’s Love Podcast Episode 1005:

* Island Day Spa where I say rah rah
* Just a poet with soul seeking God’s loving control
* Key to happiness pitch that comes without a hitch
* Peachtree Road Race and my game face

Get my TRUTH Journal, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening 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.

Stay tuned,

Here are the links to the flashes of light, from the previous week, I shared in the Jumbo Journal and on the The Power of God’s Love Podcast Episode 1004:

* In the house of the Lord is no need of a sword
* Tuesday thoughts determine the spots
* Medical school requirements ignore what entire meant
* Fetal-maternal microchimerism and love is her prism
* Letter from Paul really covers it all

Subscribe to my Jumbo Journal, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website go right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening 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.

Stay tuned,

Here are the links to the flashes of light I shared in the Jumbo Journal and on the The Power of God’s Love Podcast Episode 1003:

* Son of God and man and I know who can
* Envy is a sin you don’t wanna be in
* Pride and self promotion don’t have to cause commotion
* Iridescent lights caught in disappearing fights

Subscribe to my Jumbo Journal, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening 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.

Stay tuned,

Here are the links to the flashes of light I shared about skies, eyes, hearts, and more on the The Power of God’s Love Podcast Episode 1002:

* Stormy skies and lies and do not divert your eyes
* God knows your heart and not just the physical part
* Heart of God is physical and that might make you quizzical
* Chicken Little feared the sky falling down on you and I
* In the blink of an eye it will all pass you by

Subscribe to my Jumbo Journal, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website come right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening 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.

Stay tuned,

Here’s what I’m talking about in episode 1001 of the The Power of God’s Love Podcast:



* Hilux pickup has run into a hiccup
* Emerald northern lights or just some preview sights?
* Everything from nothing is silly and not believable, really
* No one here is good enough or made of the right stuff
* CS Lewis quote sure does float my boat




Subscribe to my Jumbo Journal, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website go right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening 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.

Here’s what I’m talking about in episode 1000 of the The Power of God’s Love Podcast:

* How all things might or might not be pure
* Your life and how it compares to eternal life in heaven
* What you can catch with your arms open wide
* Music and brain health, and
* Small, mediocre, or great minds and people and things


Subscribe to my Jumbo Journal, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website go right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening 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.

Stay tuned,

We’re finishing up the first half of July 2025. And this is the weekly edition of the The Power of God’s Love Podcast. This week I talk about the when where and why of it. Here’s the down low you need to know:

Subscribe to my Jumbo Journal, my ongoing Devotional that’s Logical AND Emotional. Because then the flashes of light I share on my website go right to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading and listening 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.

Stay tuned,

I’ll tell you, right up front, it’s a metaphor for Heaven. And I didn’t come up with the metaphor because I had to. Because if someone told me I had to, I probably would’ve skipped the whole darn thing. Yeah, I guess I’m just one of those hardheaded writers who doesn’t want to be told how or what to write. So, I said all that to explain why I called the song Angel Café.
And I know you can see, right away, how it’s a metaphor for heaven. Right?
After all, I’m sure you realize you can’t hang out at the Angel Café here on earth. So, a place with that name must be a place you’ll only be able to visit after you die.
Uh oh. I just did a quick search, online, and it turns out there IS an Angel Café right here on Earth. But I can tell you, with 99.99% certainty, that it’s not THE Angel Café. And I can say that confidently because first it appears to be in Turkey. And there ain’t no angels in Turkey. Second, it. was created by human beings from Turkey. And human beings are not, and never will be, angels.
Anyway…
THE Angel Café it’s just a pigment of my imagination. And because I thought it was a colorful and creative way to describe putting something off till it’s too late I wrote a song about it. I’ve shared the song here on my website (and on my podcast) before. But with the things that have happened in the past couple of months, and other things I’ve observed in my extended family, I thought it might bear repeating.
Is there something you should tell somebody that you keep putting off?
Is there something you’d like to share with someone? Or maybe there’s something you wish they would tell you? Regardless, here’s the point. In case you never heard this before, you ain’t getting any younger. No one is.
One of these days, when you least expect it, in most cases, it’ll be too late to say what’s on your mind or get those questions answered. Once you breathe your last breath, all opportunities are lost. And that might be forever. Because you might be separated from that certain person forever.
So I encourage you, today (in fact, right now, if you can), to make and take an opportunity to say or ask what needs to be said or asked. Tomorrow will get here and turn into today. But you have absolutely NO guarantee you’ll still be here then. If the last two months have taught me anything, and they have, it’s that drastic changes can happen in the blink of an eye. I like the song says, don’t put off who you should get to today. Because you might not be able to meet up in the…
Angel Café
You’ve already been to the mountain,
And you’ve taken your slice of the pie.
You’ve had your cool dips in the ocean;
Tied the knot with a prominent guy.
You work for and live in the good life,
And you’re blessed with the ol’ Midas’ touch.
But you’re not the girl I remember.
And I miss her so much.
You might recall all the tea and conversation.
We stayed up all night just to start it all again.
But now it’s all such a different situation.
You clocked me out just when you were clocking in.
Well time flies away.
Don’t put off who you should get to today.
Time flies away.
Don’t you wait till we meet in the angel café.
Don’t you wait till we meet in the angel café.
I watched as your world got so busy.
I felt all the edges get rough.
And I know you just want a secure life.
But, I ask, is it ever enough?
Is it worth just what it may cost you?
Are you willing to pay off the fine?
Just be wary of what you neglect here.
That’s my own bottom line.    © 1992
Subscribe to my Jumbo Journal. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox.

Who cares if you sing truth to a kid? Especially if it’s a very young kid. Because they’re not even gonna know or care if it’s true or not anyway right? They’ll just trust you. Or whatever grown up is in charge.
Bingo! That right there is why you should sing truth to a kid.
Well, at least if singing to, and with, a kid is part of your approach to spending quality time together. But if it’s not, then you can at least talk truth to a kid. Because, no matter, what truth matters. Or maybe I should say THE truth matters.
And here’s the main reason why I say that.
Because THE truth makes them free and gives them hope. But you know what doesn’t do any of that? Being taught that we all just got here by chance. That we all just crawled out of the ocean and started our happy journey toward turning into human beings. That’s right boys and girls. You used to be slime. Then you were a fish. Then you were a monkey. And finally, you were a brilliant human. And everyone lived happily ever after.
The trouble with all that stinkin’ thinkin’ is that it teaches kids to believe they’re just another animal. And you know how animals are. Whatever they feel like doing they do. Including having sex right out in the open. Going to the bathroom wherever they feel like it. And even eating other animals alive.
So I made it a mission of mine to sing truth to kids (from 3 to 103).
Because I want everybody to have hope. It’s good to know that you were made in the image and likeness of God. And it’s mighty nice to realize there’s a paradise waiting for you when your time here on earth is over.
Who knows? Maybe if most people knew that, there wouldn’t be so many dark, apocalyptic movies. Maybe there would be a lot more happy ending movies and TV shows. And maybe, now this is a big maybe, positive respectful language could be the norm. And most F-bombs and other filthy talk would just fade away.
I remember, from several years ago, a couple of people we know using foul language around their kids. And Elgielene asked them why they did that. And the mom said “They’re gonna learn it somewhere.”
That’s probably true. But it doesn’t mean they have to learn it in at home. And certainly not from their own parents. Yeesh
I’d rather help little kids grow up, knowing the one true, living, loving creator of the universe will never leave them nor forsake them. And help them have the hope of a glorious, perfect eternal life. So I write that message. And I sing that message. And I share that message just about every chance I get.
Like I did in this lullaby from my Bedtime Buckaroos  lullaby songs collection:
Music Pajamas
It’s time…to let the daylight fly
Away, but we don’t have to cry
Because…another day will dawn real soon.
So smile…and say a sweet goodnight.
They won’t, if you’ll just slip into this tune.
And wear your music pajamas.
And sing the songs of your mamas
Because they gave you a life of your own.
Through all the cartoons and dramas…
Through all the triumphs and traumas…
Slip on your music pajamas,
And know that God is on His throne.
And you’re never all alone. 
Night winds…float down from falling stars.
Lights blink…from Jupiter and Mars.
They bounce…across the water on the grass.
Inside…you’re in a soft cocoon
Of down…the color of the moon.
Dreams come…when you just let the sandman pass.
Chorus
© 2011 Tony Funderburk
Get the Bedtime Buckaroos coloring and drawing songbook delivered to your inbox and start enjoying it with your special kid or kids or grandkids in just a few minutes from now. https://...

Sure, I could’ve (and maybe should’ve) said daily bread instead of daily grain. But that wouldn’t have rhymed with the retrain your brain part. So, I took some poetic license. And there you have it.
Now, what’s all this retrain your brain talk?
Well, I could be talking about anxiety and depression, in which case I might give you a list of cognitive distortions like someone else did on another website. Here’s the list they shared.:

* Mental Filters: Mental filtering is when we filter out the positives of a situation and only focus on the negative. For example, that student left during my presentation because my presentation was not good.
* All-or-Nothing Thinking: Also known as black-and-white or polarized thinking, all-or-nothing thinking is when we believe there is no middle ground—something is perfect or a failure. For example, I missed that one question, so I did poorly on the test.
* Overgeneralization: Overgeneralization is when we conclude that, because of one bad experience, all events will have the same negative outcome. For example, I failed that test. This is going to be a horrible term.
* Magnification: Also known as catastrophizing, magnification involves exaggerating shortcomings and problems while downplaying positive qualities. For example, I failed that test. What if I flunk out of school?
* Jumping to Conclusions: We jump to conclusions when we make a hasty judgment or believe something to be true without considering the facts or initial assumptions. For example, she gave me that funny look. I think she hates me.
* Personalization and Blame: This is a cognitive distortion where we take everything personally and compare ourselves (e.g., He made that comment in class to get at me). With blaming, you place full blame on yourself or someone else for a situation that, in reality, was influenced by multiple factors beyond your control. For example, you’re the reason I had a bad day.
* Emotional Reasoning: Emotional reasoning is judging yourself or your situation based on emotions, assuming negative feelings reflect reality. For example, I feel guilty. I must be a bad person.
* Labeling: Labeling is a cognitive distortion that defines a person by their actions rather than viewing behavior separately from identity. For instance, you might call yourself a failure.
* Should Statements: Should statements focus on what you believe you should or must do. They create a constant sense of obligation, leading to anxiety and guilt. This mindset can make you feel like you’re always falling short.
* Discounting the Positive: This is a cognitive distortion where you overlook or dismiss the good things that have happened to you. For instance, instead of feeling proud of your achievement from hard work, you credit it to mere luck, disregarding your talent and effort.

But I’m not anxious or depressed.
And the number one reason for that is because God tells me not to be. Plus, it’s bad for your brain which makes it much more difficult to retrain. So I recommend living in joy and gratitude. Yeah, we should all be extremely grateful. We’re not getting what we deserve (you’re not getting those wages you actually deserve, right?).
My educated guess is that if you ARE anxious and/or depressed, you’re way too focused on YOU.
But sometimes things happen and you find yourself forced to focus more on YOU. Or at least parts of you. And that’s where I find myself currently. So that’s why I’ve been talking about it more lately.
Brain injuries, or other forms of head trauma, like stroke, are a challenge to the neuroplasticity of your brain and nervous system. And since that’s the boat,

Note: the last podcast episode said it was number 995. But it was actually 994. And this episode is actually 995. OK, back to your regularly scheduled whatever it was you were doing before I interrupted you.
Mindfulness is the cognitive skill, usually developed through meditation, of sustaining metacognitive awareness towards the contents of one’s own mind in the present moment.
I recommend practicing mindfulness and self-awareness… less.
Because the information you see about mindfulness and self-awareness, all over the place these days, really focuses on that one word: self.
And from what I’ve been able to determine, through a variety of articles, they lead away from God. Here’s an example of what I mean taken from the ultimate internet authority, wikipedia:
~ The term mindfulness derives from the Pali word sati, a significant element of Buddhist traditions, and is based on Ānāpānasati, Chan, and Tibetan meditation techniques. Though definitions and techniques of mindfulness are wide-ranging, Buddhist traditions describe what constitutes mindfulness, such as how perceptions of the past, present and future arise and cease as momentary sense-impressions and mental phenomena. ~
So, what does all that mean?
Two words. Mumbo Jumbo. OK, I’ll add one more word, Dumbo.
If your “perceptions of the past, present and future arise and cease as momentary sense-impressions” (aka feelings), your life ain’t got no foundation. And if you put any kind of trust in mental phenomena, you’re just liable to be tossed “to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.”
Of course, none of that means you can’t or shouldn’t meditate.
Because meditation, that doesn’t focus on self, can be a very powerful mental and emotional tool.
I recommend that your meditation (or mindfulness) should focus on things that are:

* true,
* noble,
* just,
* pure,
* lovely, and
* of good report

Of course, you already know that, if you’ve been connected with me for even a little while. So this information and recommendation is for the uninitiated, the newbies, and anyone willing to trust truth over feelings and phenomena.
It’s not a rule you have to follow,
Not a law you must obey.
But when you’re feeling lost and hollow,
Focused thoughts connect The Way.
This all has even more meaning for me now. Because part of my occupational and physical therapy, for better stroke recovery, includes exercising my brain. It sounds like it would be the easy part, but when parts of your brain are zapped due to a blood clot, you might be surprised how quickly the old think tank can run out of gas.
So, I’m gonna take my own advice right now and trust the Truth to help me.
Subscribe to my Jumbo Journal. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. That way 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.

Stay tuned,

If this was an article for a health and wellness  client, I couldn’t actually say food is medicine. In order to protect my client from lawsuits and such, I would have to say “food can be medicine.”
But since I’m sharing my own opinions, I can say food is medicine.
Yeah, don’t get too excited. Because that doesn’t mean ALL food is medicine. So, even though I like to joke that vitamin C stands for cookie, you might not see any health benefits from your favorite chocolate chippers. Sorry to boost your bubble. Or should I say crumble your cookie?
Anyway…
So, where do vitamins originally come from? And where does nutrition start? Food. As I said, food is medicine. And I’ve never been able to kick the eating habit. Yeah, I literally feed my habit, you might say (well, you probably wouldn’t say, but I just did) every day. And I don’t even.want to kick the habit. I love food. I’ll be the first (or second) to admit I don’t always eat what’s best for me, but it;s a high priority in my life.
Your body isn’t lacking pharmaceuticals. It needs efficient, sufficient nutrition. But most doctors sit at a computer keyboard, type in data, and wait for software to tell them which meds to prescribe. Just in case you didn’t already know this, that’s not healthcare. In fact that process read to neither health nor care.
So, let’s talk about what can lead to health and care.
And here’s some information about me you’ve ever asked for, but I’m gonna share anyway. I can’t swallow typical vitamins without chewing them. And 99% of vitamins taste horrible. I know for a fact! So, that’s why Elgielene and I focus on…you guessed it…
Better Food.
We made the switch back to basics. Just plain ol’ food. We buy as much organic as we can. But that’s WAY more expensive. Right? Not so fast. Because the money you can save on doctor’s bills can more than pay any difference in price you find.  And here’s something even more important. Food doesn’t tend to overwork your internal organs like processed vitamins. Don’t take my word for it. Look into it. I think you’ll enjoy food a lot more than the alternatives.
All that being said, genetics still play a huge role. And, as I discovered recently, you can eat healthy, nutritious food, get plenty of fresh air and sunshine, and walk 6000 to 10,000 steps a day, and still suffer a stroke.
So, it still comes down to how nobody gets out of this life alive. And that’s why even more than bodily exercise and nutrition, it’s important to have a healthy relationship with your Creator. That way all the rough stuff you go through in this life is temporary, and the joy-filled, glorified life in paradise is forever. So is the unappealing alternative.
Just some Food For Thought on a nice, Spring day…
You know what? You should subscribe to my Jumbo 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.

Stay tuned,

No, I haven’t taken up golfing. So, the one stroke I speak of is the kind of stroke you don’t wanna get even once. But on April 17, yeah, just last month, I had one sneak up on me and knock me down pretty hard.
That one stroke, put me in the ICU and rehab for three weeks.
It’s one thing to read about, or watch what someone deals with in a movie, or hear somebody tell a story about relearning how to walk and do simple things like pick something up. But it’s another thing entirely to actually have to do it yourself. And yet that’s where I find myself now.
It all started, as I said, on the evening of April 17th. I had just a few hours to go before I would drive to the airport to pick up Elgielene at the airport. She was getting back home around midnight from a two-week trip to see her sister in Florida. I had just gotten off the phone with her and her sister, after a conversation about flight numbers and times. Then I got up from my desk, walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water, and a weird feeling, came over me. It was something I haven’t felt before, so, being a typical American tough guy, I decided to.” walk it off.”  And I started pacing back-and-forth from room to room.
Unfortunately, the pacing didn’t help. I couldn’t walk it off. Matter of fact, I noticed my left leg started not responding so well and it bumped into things. Then, I started to have suspicions that something dastardly was taking place in my brain. So, I started quoting the first couple of lines from Lincoln’s Gettysburg address to see if my speech was OK. Oddly. enough, my speech was pretty much fine.
But I tried to walk again and my left leg refused to cooperate. It just felt like a heavy weight that I couldn’t even drag. Well, that was enough to get me to dial 911 and put in a call for an ambulance.
In very short order, a couple of very nice female paramedics showed up at my door, came inside, checked my vitals, and recommended that I waste no time getting to the emergency center of a nearby hospital.
The crew in the hospital very quickly diagnosed that I had experienced one stroke, and that I needed to go into the ICU for quick treatment.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t reach Elgielene because she was on a plane.
I was only able to leave her a voicemail that told her what happened and that I had been taken to the emergency room at this particular hospital. Imagine her surprise when she got off the plane and found that I wouldn’t be there to pick her up at midnight. And not only that, I was also in intensive care at the hospital. How’s that for a wake up call after a long day of connecting flights between Florida and Kansas?
Anyway…
It’s nearly a month since that took place and I just got back home four days ago. And it’s quite a drastic change in the Funderburk lifestyle. Before, I did all the driving because, well, I’m a man, and that’s what real man do. But now I’m not allowed to drive. Elgielene has really stepped up her game. And she’s taking great care of me.What a blessing! She has to do everything she was doing before plus help me do things that I don’t do so well now. My physical and occupational therapists told me they expect what they call “activation” to return to my left side eventually.
So, there’s the word I’m dealing with right now. Eventually.
This is my first message out to anyone who has connected with me online. And I expect to share more updates as my eventual recovery progresses.
There are some people who know about the stroke, and I know there have been a lot of people praying for me. For that I’m eternally grateful. Thank you for including me in your prayers. And thank you for the awesome encouragement and support.
Here’s a rhyme that I wrote way back that needs my personal ...