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Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday May 03RD 2026, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

Volume 9, Number 10, Edition 410
“Dreams”

10 years ago in 2016 my dream from suburban South Florida was to live as a retiree somewhere between Florida State Roads 60 and 70 along the rural U.S. 27 corridor. I dreamed about it. I prayed to God about it. Longtime readers of my other weekly blog series #TravelThursday may know that I now live at almost exactly the halfway point – 27½ miles – between those two major coast-to-coast highways. Thank You Lord !

5 years ago during the aftermath of the COVID pandemic my dream was to live as a retiree somewhere in or near Lake Placid or Sebring. I dreamed about it. I prayed to God about it. I soon prayed to God about the exact neighborhood that I wanted to live. I bought there and moved there in February and March 2023 respectively. Thank You Lord !

If you gave me an hour to tell you all about my dreams that I’ve prayed to God about that He made true – I’d only be able to tell you about a tiny speck of them. I’ve prayed small dreams, and I’ve prayed big dreams. I don’t know why I’m so astonished when He makes yet another dream come true.

But sometimes my dreams (small or big) are not what is right for me, so God adjusts the outcome. If you had asked me 4 years ago what I’d be doing in 2026 – I would’ve told you that I’d be a Museum Docent at the Sebring Historical Society and a Lead Pastor. I actually thought that I’d be leading weekly church services on Sundays in the clubhouse of my own neighborhood !

But neither is reality in 2026. I was a Museum Docent during much of 2024, but with very limited numbers of visitors to host – I got bored and lost interest. I still want to be a Museum Docent, but somewhere else that’s much busier. And we don’t have church services on Sundays in the clubhouse of my neighborhood, but we do pray before meals.

Strangely – and I never prayed about this – but I’m on the Board Of Directors at both the Sebring Historical Society and Highlands Community Church (my home church). At the former I serve as the Social Media Director (which I love doing). At the latter I serve with 4 other guys (including our Lead Pastor) to help run the church. Meanwhile – my Evangelism ministry continues here on #SundayScripture. All of that is because of God.

God was clearly looking out for me, and even in my 20TH year of salvation – I must constantly remind myself that He knows the plans He has for me. The LORD says – “They are plans for good and not for disaster – to give you a future and a hope.”

Keep dreaming. Keep praying to God about your dreams. He’ll sort it all out in His time.

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord – and get closer to Him with each new day.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Blogging Geography Travel

I’m Going On A Cruise

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. “I’m going on a cruise” – are 5 words I never thought I would say anytime soon. My 24TH and final cruise was back in January 2023 on the Carnival Celebration. It was on the newest and biggest cruise ship I had ever been on, and it was a fantastic Eastern Caribbean cruise. It was the perfect cruise to end on after 31 years. I wrote about it in a 6-part / 6-week series.

And then I bought a home in Sebring a month later, and I moved in to it a month after that – while still owning my longtime 30-year home in Homestead. And then I retired after almost 39 years with the USAF.

A 25TH cruise was definitely not on my docket.

And then I went on a retirement road-trip in April 2024. It lasted 18 days, and I accumulated 2,800+ miles to and from North Texas. On Day 3 of that road-trip I arrived in Natchez Mississippi for the night, and I ventured downhill on steep Silver Street to alongside the mighty Mississippi River. And that’s when I saw a Viking cruise ship docked on the banks of the river. Lots of passengers were enjoying their port-of-call for the day.

Ever since that moment on April 03RD 2024 I was intrigued about Viking cruise ships, river cruising in general, and how much money I would have to spend to get on one of those cruises to continue my retirement goal of seeing the U.S.A. They are not cheap. Nearly every river cruise (whether it’s here in the U.S.A. or abroad) costs more than nearly every ocean cruise.

I continued my research off-and-on throughout 2024 and 2025. After seeing their magazine and televisions ads I began zoning in on the family-owned American Cruise Lines (#ACL) and their 28 ships operating solely along U.S. rivers, lakes, and coastlines. They offer about 50 different itineraries in 35 states.

I eventually booked what I like to call a “starter cruise”. It’s on the Ohio River. It starts in Louisville Kentucky, and it ends in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 8 days later. (I’ve never been to either city.)

Ports-of-call along the way upstream (with 14 locks and dams) include Madison Indiana, Cincinnati Ohio, and Marietta Ohio. (Cincinnati is the only city I’ve visited, as my family lived there for 6 years during the 2010s.)

I got a really good deal on this cruise – with free airfare from Sarasota-Bradenton (#SRQ) to Louisville, and then from Pittsburgh back to #SRQ. Also – the hotel night before the cruise is complimentary, and I got $1,000 in instant savings when I booked in February. It’s still my most expensive (by far) cruise to date, and it’s on the smallest cruise ship. I’ll be 1 of 150 passengers (if sold out).

I’m following several Facebook groups of #ACL cruisers (past, present, and future), and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. And I know that river cruising – just as ocean cruising – is not for everyone. I’m looking forward to this cruise. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a great time onboard and in each of the ports-of-call. I also have a feeling that I may be enticed to book my next cruise with them (for 2027), so I’m already looking at potential itineraries so that I’m ready in the event that I get a really good deal onboard.

This cruise is later this year, and you’ll know that I’ve returned back home from it once I begin an extended series documenting it all here on #TravelThursday. As for next week – it’s an update on miles driven so far in 2026. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 480

Every Monday I post my all-new Top 10 Christian hit music chart based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from the previous week. It’s the continuation of a weekly hobby that goes back almost 50 years. Here’s this week’s chart – for the week ending Sunday April 26TH 2026 – the 480TH week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 15 Where Would I Be
[13TH week @ # 1]		 Peter Burton
2 3 15 Finished Caleb & John
3 2 9 I’ve Got A Fire Pat Barrett
4 4 5 Everything Is Better Hopeful.
5 8 2 Worthy Of It All (Worthy) CeCe Winans
6 5 12 Good Matthew West
7 6 17 Heaven On My Mind TobyMac X Forrest Frank
8 9 2 I’m Yours Blanca Ft. Ryan Ellis
9 7 28 How Good It Is Chris Tomlin
10 10 4 Rescue Me We The Kingdom

# 1 This Week In:
2025 – “A Lil Church (Nobody’s Too Lost)” – TobyMac
2024 – “He Does” – Brandon Heath
2023 – “The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)” – Matt Maher
2022 – “See Me Through It” – Brandon Heath
2021 – “Fires” – Jordan St. Cyr
2020 – “Almost Home” – MercyMe
2019 – “Alive” – Big Daddy Weave
2018 – “Freedom Hymn” – Austin French
2017 – “Even If” – MercyMe

PETER BURTON – He spends his 13TH week at # 1 high atop my chart with “Where Would I Be”. That makes it my longest-running Christian # 1 song of all-time (since my fantastic journey began in 2006). It’s also my longest-running # 1 song of any genre in nearly 24 years – since DJ Sammy spent 13 non-consecutive weeks at # 1 with “Heaven”. Before that in 2000 – Creed spent 13 non-consecutive weeks at # 1 with “Higher”. As far as 13 weeks in a row at # 1 – that hasn’t happened in over 28 years when Chumbawamba spent 18 weeks in a row at # 1 with “Tubthumping”.

ONE-HIT WONDER – Earlier this year – Sons Of Sunday – wrapped-up a 7-week stay on my chart – peaking at # 5 with “God Did !”. Sons Of Sunday consisted of (in alphabetical order by last name) Pat Barrett, Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Brandon Lake, Chandler Moore, and Leeland Dayton Mooring.

SPOTIFY – You can hear “My Top 10 Hits” anytime by accessing my CountUp playlist on Spotify. All 10 hits are there from top to bottom. You can hear them in order from # 1 to # 10, or you can shuffle them. My playlist will be updated every weekend (usually before the actual chart is presented here on Mondays). You can link to it here.

Your likes, follows, and comments are always appreciated. Thank You for being part of my online ministry to share God’s Good News and win souls for Christ through His music. God used loud music on the radio in South Florida to reach me in August of 2006. I’ve been testifying about Him ever since.

Be blessed my friends !  May our God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday April 26TH 2026, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

Volume 9, Number 9, Edition 409
“Communion”

I’ve been leading Communion for the greater part of the past 16½ years – spanning 3 home churches since late-2009. I led well over 100 Communions at my first church, and 79 Communions at my second church. I led my 18TH Communion at my current home church a couple of Sundays ago. We do it monthly, and we did it monthly at my previous home church. We did it weekly (at multiple services) at my first home church, and I alternated with a few others who also led Communion.

I’ve received a few requests recently to include a Communion here on my blog, so here’s the full transcript from 2 Sundays ago:

Thank You for that beautiful music to our Lord. We all sounded good. Our singers. Our musicians. Our church body. All of us singing in unison to and for our Lord God Almighty. AMEN.

God loves when we sing to Him. He loves when we reach out to Him with our voices. He loves when we worship Him. He loves when we show our love to Him. He loves when we show our love to others.

Let’s continue to worship Him, as we observe and celebrate Communion. Let’s remember what He did for us on that cross – and the love that was poured out for us from that cross.

Let’s reflect on the cost of love – the body broken – the blood shed – so that we may be welcomed – and forgiven – and drawn near.

Let us never take Communion lightly. Let us always take Communion seriously – with humility, gratitude, and respect.

The Bible says in Romans (5:6,8):
When we were utterly helpless – Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

If you are not yet ready to take Communion – then that’s OK. But – we want you to leave your past – leave your sins – leave your burdens – here. Don’t take them with you. Abandon them here. Repent of them here. Seek God for redemption, healing, and restoration. Surrender your heart to Him. He Himself has said – “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

If you are ready to take Communion – then we will do that together.

We observe and celebrate a believer’s Communion here at Highlands Community Church. What does that mean ? It means that if you believe, and follow, and trust, and love our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ – then this Communion is for you.

When Jesus died for us on that cross – He poured His life out for us. He suffered for our sins – once – for all time. He never sinned, but He died for us sinners to bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but He was raised to life in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18)

He poured the Holy Spirit out for us. And the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead – lives in each of us – who believe.

If you believe – then this Communion is for you.

Our Communion containers have an element on each end. The wafer is on one side, and the juice is on the other. We’ll take each one together as a church body.

Let’s remove the wafer from the container.

When it was evening – Jesus sat down at the table with the twelve disciples. As they were eating – Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples – saying – “Take this and eat it, for this is My body.” (Matthew 26:20,26)

Let us take this bread – in remembrance of Him.

Let’s open the juice on the container.

And He took a cup of wine, and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and said – “Each of you drink from it, for this is My blood – which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.” (Matthew 26:27-28)

Let us take this juice – in remembrance of Him.

Let us bow our heads. Let us pray:

Thank You God for Your ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Thank You for loving us, and giving Yourself for us. We love You Lord. We need You Lord. We are nothing without You Lord.

Thank You for Your awesome presence in our lives – and Your intentional purpose for our lives. May all of Your blessings and miracles constantly strengthen our faith in You, increase our love towards others, and unify our hearts and our souls. We honor You Lord. We praise You Lord. We worship You Lord. And my brothers and sisters we say – AMEN.

Pastor Tim – come bring us God’s Good News.

(And he did.)

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord – and get closer to Him with each new day.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp