CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday August 23RD 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 26, Edition 426
“20 Years Of Salvation – Part 2”

This past week I observed and celebrated the 20TH anniversary of the start of my salvation which occurred at dawn during the 3RD week of August of 2006 on North Canal Drive (SW 328TH Street) in Homestead Florida.

Last #SundayScripture I began sharing my testimony about my first 5 months of salvation – leading-up to that rock and roll concert on a Saturday night at Life Pointe Church. This week my story continues:

So as I ended last week’s edition – I wrote that it was announced that the church building that we were in was not where Sunday morning service occurred. Sunday morning service was actually held a couple of miles away inside the new movie theatre. That would be Flagship Cinemas – Homestead’s only theatre at the time. It was built in 2005 into 2006, and it opened in April 2006. It was modern and state-of-the-art at the time. It was our first theatre since the previous one was smashed into pieces by Hurricane Andrew 13½ years earlier. (The 34TH anniversary of Hurricane Andrew’s landfall across Homestead Florida is tonight.)

I see a lot of movies at the theatre – generally between 20 and 30 a year. Occasionally I went to that theatre early on Sunday afternoons. At first I couldn’t figure out why there were so many people at the theatre (that early), and most of them were leaving and not arriving. I eventually realized that they were church people. A church service was being held at the theatre before the movies started, and they were letting out as I was arriving to see an early movie. I thought that a church service at the theatre was quite odd, but then I thought of church people as quite odd.

Well guess what ? I entered that theatre the very next morning after the rock concert inside the traditional (and original) church building. I walked in at around 9:45 AM on that Sunday January 21ST 2007 (another date that I’ll never forget). I was greeted and hugged by complete strangers at the front doors. A smiling lady – Anne – soon introduced herself to me, and I introduced myself to her. She was in charge of Hospitality. We’ve been friends ever since that very first morning.

She led me down the hallway to the specific theatre where service was held starting at 10 AM. I was greeted again at that door. I walked in. I found a seat. And I attended my very first church service in 30 years – ever since I was a little kid in Catholic School.

Within the first 10 minutes of the service – I knew that I would be back again the next Sunday morning. I’ve been part of a church family ever since.

I was part of that first church family for the next 8 years – until 2015. And then I moved to another church about a mile away, and I was part of that second church family for the next 9 years – until 2024. I served as an Assistant Pastor at that church. I opened and closed every service. I led Communion on the first Sunday of every month, and I was honored to preach over 60 sermons there. I was part of the Praise + Worship team during my final few years – singing the same songs on stage that I was singing along to at home and in my car.

I moved to Sebring Florida in March of 2023 – almost a full year before I retired from the Air Force down in Homestead. I commuted back-and-forth between Sebring and Homestead – not every day – but about every week or two. I actually worked from home – my new home in Sebring – during my final year of employment. For my entire 39-year career with the Air Force – I held a desk job in an office working with numbers and money. I was able to do my job in an efficient manner remotely.

My third church overall was my first church here in Sebring, and it was not my current church. It was another church down the road. It wasn’t a good fit for me, so I eventually started looking elsewhere.

(I’ll continue this story – next #SundayScripture.)

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

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday August 16TH 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 25, Edition 425
“20 Years Of Salvation – Part 1”

Last #SundayScripture I shared the YouTube video of the entire service of my home church from the week before (2 weeks ago). I led Communion, and I shared the start of my salvation story with my brothers and sisters of my church family.

But wait. As legendary radio commentator Paul Harvey famously said – let me share with you “the rest of the story”. I’ve shared it countless times before online and offline, and its worth sharing infinitely.

As those 5 months went by – August into September into October into November into December of 2006, and I was learning all about God from the radio and from Yahoo and Google – I realized that I could only go so far on this fantastic journey by myself. I was an orphan on this journey. God wanted me to be part of a family of believers. He wanted me to have brothers and sisters of a church family.

So – He used the radio again. Starting in December of 2006 – that radio station that I was listening to – day and night – they began promoting their upcoming birthday party concert at a local church in Homestead (where I lived). It was a rock concert inside a church ! I was thinking “What on Earth ? ! A rock concert ? Inside a church ? Is that even allowed ?” (I had never envisioned such a concept.)

I had been to countless rock concerts at big arenas all around South Florida in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, but inside a church ? I had to check that one out. So – I made plans to attend that rock concert at that church. As I recall – it was a pay at the door concert. By the way – Manic Drive was the headliner of that concert. Anyone heard of Manic Drive ? They were quite big 20 years ago during the mid-2000s. I think they’re still together and active today.

So that date of that rock concert – inside that church – was Saturday January 20TH 2007. I’ll remember that date forever. It was exactly 5 months to the date of the start of my salvation. I had the guts to walk in to that church all by myself on that night after dark. Actually – God gave me the courage to do that. I didn’t know a single person there.

That rock concert was totally awesome. I could not believe that I could have so much fun singing and dancing and hands in the air like you just don’t care inside a church, and it was all about God, and it was all for God. But I noticed something interesting. I was perhaps the oldest person there. Everyone else looked like they were in their 20s or teens. I didn’t even see any parents there. I think the parents dropped off their kids at the front door of the church and then drove off somewhere peaceful and quiet.

Towards the end of the concert the host – who turned out to be a Youth Director – he was in his 20s – he thanked everyone for coming to the show, and he announced that the church building that we were in was not where Sunday morning service occurred. Sunday morning service was actually held a couple of miles away inside the new movie theatre. WHAT ? !

(I’ll continue this story – next #SundayScripture.)

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