Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 470

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 February 15TH 2026 – the 470TH week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 5 Where Would I Be
[3RD week @ # 1]		 Peter Burton
2 2 5 Finished Caleb & John
3 3 18 How Good It Is Chris Tomlin
4 4 29 Can’t Steal My Joy Josiah Queen X Brandon Lake
5 6 5 Homesick For Heaven Phil Wickham
6 7 7 Heaven On My Mind TobyMac
7 5 19 Dusty Bibles Josiah Queen
8 8 4 The Love I Have For You Colton Dixon
9 9 3 Make It Well MercyMe
10 10 2 Good Matthew West

# 1 This Week In:
2025 – “In The Name Of Jesus” – JWLKRS Worship Ft. Maverick City Music
2024 – “I Believe” – Phil Wickham
2023 – “My Story Your Glory” – Matthew West
2022 – “Weary Traveler” – Jordan St. Cyr
2021 – “Every Step Of The Way” – Cade Thompson
2020 – “The God Who Stays” – Matthew West
2019 – “Maybe It’s OK” – We Are Messengers
2018 – “Gracefully Broken” – Matt Redman Ft. Tasha C. Leonard

ANNIVERSARY WEEK – It started yesterday with #SundayScripture, and it continues today with #MusicMonday. This chart was resurrected on this weekend 9 years ago. I was returning home from Tallahassee at the end of Presidents’ Day Weekend – having seen TobyMac LIVE in concert. Supporting him were other great artists including Ryan Stevenson and the late great Mandisa. It was a wonderful inspirational concert. As I was driving homeward I spent the night at a hotel in Bartow Florida. That night I discovered the existence of K-LOVE – the national network of positive and encouraging radio stations. I’ve been listening ever since the next day when I picked-up its Fort Myers signal at 88.7 FM on my car radio. Both the concert and the radio station discovery inspired me to bring back this chart after a 7-year hiatus. (It previously ran from 1995 to 2010, and before that – from 1985 to 1992.)

ONE-HIT WONDER – Rachael Lampa scored a minor hit on my chart in September and October 2022 with “Perfectly Loved”. It should’ve been a bigger hit at the time. It was a big hit nationally with TobyMac appearing on one version of the song, and Rachael solo on another version. It was actually her biggest hit in 20 years (since 2002).

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 February 15TH 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.

It’s Anniversary Week. I selected my current dream home in my dream neighborhood in my dream part of Florida exactly 3 years ago. It was the 5TH of 5 identical condos I looked at, and the nicest one of them all – fully furnished. I made a purchase offer on it, and it was immediately accepted. I moved in a month later, and my life began anew here in Sebring Florida. Thanks be to God for leading me here.

I was recently asked about tithes and offerings. I’ve been tithing for 19 years now – ever since the beginning of my 8-year stay at my first home church. I learned early on how important it is to tithe if you indeed call a church your home church, and you trust what they are doing financially.

At my first church the giving of tithes and offerings was an important part of every service. Its importance was specifically explained for a few minutes from the stage (often by myself), and then we passed around popcorn buckets (at the movie theatre) to place our tithes and offerings in.

At my second church we passed around more traditional baskets towards the end of the service as our worship band performed “Thrive” (by Casting Crowns). I then prayed over the financial resources that were received. After a couple of years I was given the liberty by the Senior Pastor to change it to a different process. We placed a large copper bowl at the base of the altar, and the church members placed their tithes and offerings – either in an envelope or loose – into the bowl at their convenience. We never talked about it during the service. (I believe that the process has changed back since my departure.)

At my current church we also don’t talk about tithes and offerings, but every so often we mention that there are wooden boxes hanging on the wall where you can place them. We are also transparent in that we reveal the total amount of tithes and offerings in our bulletin each week.

I’ve never preached a sermon on tithes and offerings – or fundraising – or prosperity. Back in October 2022 I preached a sermon titled “Give & Take”. It was about the balancing act between giving out (blessing) and taking in (receiving). I preached this:

You know it is quite the balancing act to “Give & Take” appropriately. I like these red letters in the Gospel of Luke (6:38):

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

That verse right there is used at a lot of churches to encourage you to give financially in tithes and offerings. I myself used that verse at my previous place of worship – because I was told to. I think it’s taken out of context in that manner. I don’t believe that this verse – straight from Christ Himself (in red letters) – is about money at all. It’s about behavior.

The verse before that verse says a lot about what Christ is really talking about:

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. (6:37)

We must be gracious in how we view our neighbor. Don’t judge them. Don’t condemn them. Do forgive them. You don’t want to be judged. You don’t want to be condemned. You want to be forgiven.

Luke 6:38 continues Christ’s message on action and reaction via human interaction. When you give – you will receive. If you give kind words – you will receive kind words. If you give compassion – you will receive compassion. If you give a helping hand – you will receive a helping hand. Gladly accept what is given to you. Take it. Use it. And give back even more. That’s a “Give & Take” behavior that our God will find good and pleasing and perfect.

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 Driving Food Geography History Travel

Avon Park Depot Museum

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. I’ve written about the historic Avon Park Depot Museum – operated by the Avon Park Historical Society – a few times here on my blog. It’s located about 4½ miles from my neighborhood on Main Street in downtown Avon Park Florida. I studied the place online during COVID, and I was very intrigued by its history. I decided that once I move to the area and retire from the USAF – I wanted to volunteer at the museum full-time.

My first visit to the museum was 5 years ago next week during a fun road-trip vacation through the area. I arrived at the museum. I took a couple of exterior photos. I walked-up to the front door, and it was locked shut with a note on the door. They were closed due to COVID.

What a disappointment. I immediately got back in my car and drove southward to downtown Sebring. That disappointment actually led me to my discovery of the Sebring Historical Society. My relationship with them began that morning, and it continues to this day. I’ll write about that – next #TravelThursday.

I’ve been visiting the Depot Museum in downtown Avon Park on a fairly regular basis over the past few years. Every time I visit – I wonder what could’ve been had they been open on that Wednesday in February in 2021. What would I be doing at that museum ? Would I be giving tours ? Would I be doing Accounting & Finance ? Would I be in charge of their Social Media and Internet presence ? Would the museum look any differently because of me ?

The museum is well run. My friend Elaine is the Museum Curator, and she frequently updates the museum with new displays – both temporary and permanent. It’s a very nice museum to visit set in a historic train depot, and the trains keep on rolling by. (They just don’t stop.)

On some days you may even be able to get a bonus exclusive behind-the-scenes tour inside this railroad dining car (acquired in 1986) that last saw action as part of Amtrak’s Auto Train between Lorton Virginia and Sanford Florida. It’s now used for special catered dining events by groups of 16 to 36 (by reservation only).

And I finally got to do just that this past December. A group of us from the Sebring Historical Society joined forces with another small group to meet the minimum of 16, and we enjoyed a very nice multi-course lunch on the train car. The food was delicious, and the service was wonderful (provided by volunteers of the Avon Park Historical Society). It was an excellent experience, and I suggested right then and there that we need to do this again next year (as in 2026). Several trains (passenger and freight) sped by us on the track as we were enjoying lunch – and also during our guided tour of the museum before lunch.

The museum is a traditional historical museum for the city of Avon Park. You can easily spend an hour or two checking it all out and allowing the docent(s) to share history with you. It’s currently open from 10 AM to 3 PM on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. It’s located at 3 North Museum Avenue – right after the first set of railroad tracks if you’re driving east on Main Street from U.S. 27. Make a left at Museum Avenue, and you’ll see the museum and the dining car on the left-hand side. Admission is free. Donations are appreciated.

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 469

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 February 08TH 2026 – the 469TH week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 4 Where Would I Be
[2ND week @ # 1]		 Peter Burton
2 2 4 Finished Caleb & John
3 3 17 How Good It Is Chris Tomlin
4 5 28 Can’t Steal My Joy Josiah Queen X Brandon Lake
5 4 18 Dusty Bibles Josiah Queen
6 6 4 Homesick For Heaven Phil Wickham
7 7 6 Heaven On My Mind TobyMac
8 8 3 The Love I Have For You Colton Dixon
9 10 2 Make It Well MercyMe
10 – 1 Good Matthew West

# 1 This Week In:
2025 – “In The Name Of Jesus” – JWLKRS Worship Ft. Maverick City Music
2024 – “I Believe” – Phil Wickham
2023 – “Who I Am” – Ben Fuller
2022 – “Weary Traveler” – Jordan St. Cyr
2021 – “Every Step Of The Way” – Cade Thompson
2020 – “The God Who Stays” – Matthew West
2019 – “Maybe It’s OK” – We Are Messengers
2018 – “Gracefully Broken” – Matt Redman Ft. Tasha C. Leonard

TOP 10 ARTISTS – 6 out of my Top 7 artists over the past 9 years are on my chart this week – to include my # 1 artist (by a large margin) – Matthew West. His 11TH hit – “Good” – enters my chart. It’s the 185TH week on my chart for a Matthew West song. The other 5 artists who are in my Top 7 over the past 9 years are MercyMe (# 2), Phil Wickham (# 3), Chris Tomlin (# 5), TobyMac (# 6), and Brandon Lake (# 7). Missing is Micah Tyler (# 4). His new song on the radio should start receiving airplay by the end of this month. It’s titled “Perfectly”, and Micah wrote on his Facebook page that it “is a reminder that even when life feels messy, confusing, or uncertain … God is still faithful, still near, and still working perfectly.”

ONE-HIT WONDER – In June 2022 Ellie Holcomb reached my Top 5 with the brilliant “I Will Carry You”. It should’ve been a bigger hit on my chart that summer. I still enjoy hearing it. One of the good things coming out of this weekly feature is the fact that I’m rediscovering songs that were part of the soundtrack of my fantastic journey with Christ my Savior. It also gives me the chance to add the songs to my Spotify playlist so that I can keep hearing them. I did just that with Ellie’s track.

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