CountUp

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday June 21ST 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 17, Edition 417
“Cain & Abel – Part 5”

I’m continuing my update of one of my old sermons on Cain & Abel that I preached to my church family in Homestead Florida in 2018. Here’s the next portion of that sermon – updated 8 years later:

So upon hearing his punishment for murder from God – Cain told Him that it’s too harsh. “You’re being too cruel, LORD.” See Cain believes that his chances of survival – out there – in the foreign lands – wandering about – with no home – with no work – are slim to none. He said to the LORD, “Anyone who finds me will kill me !”

You know I originally thought that during the time of Adam & Eve – and their first two born – Cain & Abel – that they were the only 4 humans in the creation at the time. But the fact that Cain is worried that he’s a goner out there in the unknown lands once it’s found out that he murdered his brother – means that there must be other people in the world at the time.

That’s just me thinking this out – speculating – if you will. The Bible isn’t clear as to the population of the world during the time of Adam & Eve and Cain & Abel. But I’m thinking – it was probably more than 4. (Adam & Eve had other sons and daughters.)

In my 20TH year on this journey – I’m still learning with each new day in His Word. That’s what it’s all about. Gotta keep studying. Gotta keep learning. Gotta keep moving forward. Gotta keep getting closer to God.

“Anyone who finds me will kill me !” See Cain was being very realistic there – a murder for a murder. Cain was scared for his life. Cain also hinted – for maybe the first time – that he needed God in that moment. He pled for mercy.

And so this harsh, judgmental, and cruel Old Testament God surprised Cain. He marked Cain. He vowed to protect Cain. Anyone who kills Cain will be avenged sevenfold. Maybe it was a physical mark on Cain for all to see as a warning. Don’t mess with Cain – or you will experience the wrath of God.

See God was protecting Cain. He was giving Cain traveling mercies. His punishment was exactly what Cain needed. Cain needed to go out there, and lose his pride, and explore the unknown – new lands, new opportunities, new people. Cain needed to discover and use the gifts that God gave him to do something else – other than working the fields. He lost that opportunity. God took away that livelihood.

God had other plans for Cain. God wanted Cain to produce great fruits. God wanted Cain to realize that He had blessed him with a second chance at life. God wanted Cain to realize his deadly sins of the past, and repent, and turn from them. God wanted Cain to rely on Him for guidance and direction in a new life. Sounds like salvation to me. Sounds like – the first salvation in the Creation. But wait – not so fast.

Our God is a generous God. He was generous to Cain. He showed grace and mercy towards Cain. Cain didn’t deserve to live. But our God is a loving God. He loved Cain so much that he wanted him to see his full potential in a new land. God wanted the same for each of us while we were slaves to the world – before we knew Him.

See the God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament. And He’s the same God today. He’s loving. He’s forgiving. He’s compassionate.

BOILERPLATE

#SundayScripture is published online every Sunday at 0300 U.S. East Coast time. It was created in its current form in February 2018. I share my testimony here each 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, for the best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and I pray that the LORD will bless you and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you, and may He be gracious to you. May He lift up His countenance upon you, and may He give you peace. I pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN and AMEN.

Tags Bible, Blog, Christ, Christian, Church, God, Jesus, Message, Minister, Ministry, Pastor, Preacher, Reverend, Scripture, Sermon, Sunday

Astronomy Blogging Geography Home Travel Weather

Sebring Florida’s Cold Winter Of 2025-2026

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date June 18, 2026
No Comments on Sebring Florida’s Cold Winter Of 2025-2026

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. We are just a few days away from the Summer Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere. It occurs at precisely 4:24 AM EDT this Sunday June 21ST 2026 when the sun reaches its northernmost extent above the Tropic Of Cancer (currently 23.43586° north latitude).

It’s a perfect time to look-back at this past winter season here in Sebring Florida.

Our coldest months here in the Highlands of South-Central Florida are December, January, and February. Our average afternoon high temperatures are in the low-70s, and our average morning low temperatures are in the mid-50s. A “cold” day is when we don’t reach 70°F / 21°C. A “cold” night is a night in the 40s / below 10°C. We are generally warmer during the day and colder during the night than our neighbors at both coasts some 80 miles away.

This past winter season we had 20 cold days when we did not reach 70°F. 2 occurred in November, 2 in December, 7 in January, 7 in February, and 2 in March. From January 31ST to February 02ND we never got to 60°F, and on February 01ST we never got out of the 40s !

We also had 44 cold nights when we were into the 40s, 30s, and even the mid-20s. 6 occurred in November, 7 in December, 16 in January, 14 in February, and 1 in March. From January 26TH to February 10TH we had 16 nights in a row below 50°F. 3 of those mornings from February 01ST to February 03RD were subfreezing, and they were perhaps the coldest mornings I’ve ever experienced in my 38 years of living here in Florida. Wind chills were actually in the mid-teens on February 01ST, and it destroyed a lot of citrus and vegetation.

It was my 3RD full winter season here in Sebring Florida. (I moved here at the end of the 2022-2023 season.) I previously lived in Homestead Florida for 36 winter seasons. Down there we averaged less than 20 cold days and nights combined per season (compared with 60 to 70 combined days and nights here). This past winter season there were a total of 31 cold days and nights combined in Homestead – the most I’ve ever recorded.

Statistically – I believe that it was our coldest winter season since 2010-2011.

We’re in our 4-month rainy season now. That’s when about 70% of our annual rainfall occurs. We’re also in our 6-month hurricane season. That started on June 01ST and continues until November 30TH with peak season being September and October. Hopefully the rain will fall, as we’re recovering from an extreme drought – our worst in at least 25 years. Hopefully the hurricanes will stay out at sea.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll look back at past visits to “The Bluegrass State” – Kentucky. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Arcadia, DeSoto, Florida, Lovebugs

Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 487

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date June 15, 2026
No Comments on My Top 10 Hits – Week 487

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 June 14TH 2026 – the 487TH week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW	LW	WKS	SONG TITLE	ARTIST / SITE
1	1	22	Finished [6TH week @ # 1]	Caleb & John
2	4	9	Worthy Of It All (Worthy)	CeCe Winans
3	3	22	Where Would I Be	Peter Burton
4	2	12	Everything Is Better	Hopeful.
5	5	6	I’d Do It Again	Andrew Ripp
6	8	7	demons	Josiah Queen
7	7	7	Somebody’s Praying	Bay Turner
8	6	7	Father, Let It Be	Sidewalk Prophets
9	9	5	Perfectly	Micah Tyler
10	10	3	Gonna Be Alright	Matt Maher

# 1 This Week In:
2025 – “You Never Gave Up On Me” – The Afters
2024 – “Beautiful Life” – Pat Barrett
2023 – “Cornerstone” – TobyMac Ft. Zach Williams
2022 – “Sunday Sermons” – Anne Wilson
2021 – “Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight)” – TobyMac
2020 – “I Will Fear No More” – The Afters
2019 – “Church (Take Me Back)” – Cochren & Co.
2018 – “Do It Again” – Elevation Worship
2017 – “Live Like You’re Loved” – Hawk Nelson

CALEB & JOHN – They are 3 for 3. That’s 3 songs on my chart since 2023 – and 3 # 1 hits on my chart for a combined 15 weeks at the top. That places the duo in 6TH place – with only MercyMe (29), Matthew West (26), Casting Crowns (18), Brandon Lake (17), and TobyMac (16) above them in weeks at # 1.

SALVATION ERA – The #CountUp continues. My # 4 hit overall from August 2006 to January 2010 was 1 of 3 hits that spent 10 or more weeks at # 1. (There were 50 # 1 hits during my Salvation Era.) Hawk Nelson – with Jason Dunn as lead singer – spent 10 weeks at the top with their energetic anthem – “Friend Like That”. It was my # 1 smash of all of 2008.

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.

Tags Blog, Chart, Christian, christianity, faith, God, Jesus, KLOVE, Music, Radio, Spotify, TheJoyFM, WayFM, WGTS, Z883

Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday June 14TH 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 16, Edition 416
“Cain & Abel – Part 4”

Cain got very angry at God. Adam & Eve never got angry, and they corrupted the whole world forever by bringing forth sin into the Creation. So with that sin in existence Cain showed great pride (sin), and then he got very angry (more sin). It was literally the first temper-tantrum in the Creation. Doesn’t Cain sound like a modern-day sassy and rebellious backtalking teenager ? Yep. Cain was the first of them.

God saw how Cain was acting the way he was, so he sat Cain down, and He gave him some useful advice – that went in one ear and out the other.

God told Cain, “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right – then watch out ! Sin is crouching at the door – eager to control you. (It’s waiting to attack and destroy you.) But you must subdue it, and be its master.” (Genesis 4:7)

Cain didn’t listen to God. Satan tempted Cain. He convinced Cain that maybe – just maybe – he misunderstood what God had commanded. (Sound familiar ?) God said that Cain should do what is right. God said that sin is here, and it will control you – if you don’t subdue it and be its master. He said that to keep Cain from sinning. But Cain was manipulated by Satan – just like his parents in the Garden.

The rage within intensified. It soon controlled and consumed Cain.

Remember my sermon last month (September 2018) on being “Humble & Gentle” ? James warned that if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart – then that is not God’s wisdom at work. That kind of wisdom is earthly, unspiritual, demonic, and even devilish. That kind of wisdom leads to disorder and evil of every kind.

Cain had that kind of demonic devilish wisdom:

One day Cain suggested to his brother – “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field – Cain attacked his brother – Abel – and killed him (with a large stone to the head). (Genesis 4:8)

It was the first act of violence – the first murder scene – in the Creation. Very soon after – the LORD asked Cain where his brother was (even though God already knew what happened). God knows everything. Can’t hide anything from the LORD. Cain responded sarcastically – just like a defiant teenager. He essentially said, “I don’t know where he is. What am I – in charge of my brother now ? !”

The LORD responded, “What have you done ? Listen ! Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground !” Now you are cursed and banished from the ground – which has swallowed your brother’s blood. No longer will the ground yield good crops for you – no matter how hard you work ! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.” (Genesis 4:10-12)

History repeats itself. Adam & Eve and mankind were banished from the Garden Of Eden forever. Yep. Cain is just like his mom. He is the firstborn.

See we’re in the Old Testament here, so God is harsh, and judgmental, and cruel. That’s different from the God of the New Testament – who is loving, and forgiving, and compassionate. (At least that’s what a lot of people think today. Me – not so much.) Stay tuned. It’s about to get good.

BOILERPLATE

#SundayScripture is published online every Sunday at 3 AM U.S. East Coast time. It was created in its current form in February 2018. I share my testimony here each 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, for the best is yet to come !