CountUp

My Ohio River Cruise

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This post is all about my Ohio River Cruise – that didn’t happen. Starting with this edition I would’ve begun a multiple-week series (probably lasting at least 10 weeks into October) recapping my first-ever river cruise. That’s why I posted about Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania over the past 5 weeks. Those are the 5 states I would’ve visited along the 600-mile journey upstream from Louisville to Pittsburgh.

But something terrible happened early in the morning on Wednesday July 01ST 2026. Reports were vague at first, but then they started leaking out on the Interwebs (mostly on Facebook and Reddit). The front-end of the ship was severely damaged in an accident with a tugboat on the Ohio River between Paducah Kentucky and Evansville Indiana a day before it would’ve arrived in Louisville on July 02ND. Everyone on that New Orleans to Louisville cruise was evacuated off the ship about 20 hours later in Evansville Indiana, and the passenger-less ship eventually made its way back down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to Amelia Louisiana for what turned out to be a week of drydock repairs.

The first Louisville to Pittsburgh cruise was immediately cancelled, and that’s when reports began appearing on Facebook about what happened. A few days later the Pittsburgh to Louisville return cruise was officially cancelled. (That was pretty much a given since the ship goes back-and-forth between Louisville and Pittsburgh during much of July and August.)

My cruise was the next cruise after that, and it was officially cancelled on Friday July 10TH 2026 – 8 days prior to when I would’ve boarded in Louisville alongside 140+ other passengers. (I received an E-Mail and text message with instructions to rebook a different cruise or receive a full refund.)

I was actually given 3 options to proceed with the refund being one of them. I didn’t want my money back. I want to cruise a river. The other 2 options were enticing to me for different reasons. I knew which option was my first choice, but would I get it ? I’ll share that with you – next – #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Cruise, Ohio River

Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 493

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date July 27, 2026
No Comments on My Top 10 Hits – Week 493

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 July 26TH 2026 – the 493RD week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW	LW	WKS	SONG TITLE	ARTIST / SITE
1	1	9	Washed [4TH week @ # 1]	Elevation Rhythm
2	2	18	Everything Is Better	Hopeful.
3	3	28	Finished	Caleb & John
4	4	15	Worthy Of It All (Worthy)	CeCe Winans
5	5	3	Breathe On It	Tauren Wells
6	6	4	The Author	Brandon Lake Ft. Nick Jonas
7	9	2	Faith Hope Love	We Are Messengers
8	–	1	Why Should I Worry	Carly Ann Taylor
9	8	3	Meet Me In The Valley	Tasha Layton
10	7	4	Ain’t No Way	Jamie MacDonald

2025 – “God Did It” – Micah Tyler
2024 – “Somebody Like Me” – Caleb & John Ft. Cain
2023 – “Big God” – Terrian
2022 – “Getting Started” – Jeremy Camp
2021 – “Be Alright” – Evan Craft Ft. Danny Gokey
2020 – “No Impossible With You” – I AM THEY
2019 – “Raise A Hallelujah” – Bethel Music
2018 – “Dream Small” – Josh Wilson
2017 – “Wonder” – Hillsong UNITED

FAITH HOPE LOVE – We Are Messengers are back with their 11TH hit on my chart over the past 9½ years. I like this song. The melody reminds me of mid-1980s British New Wave (thinking Depeche Mode, Echo And The Bunnymen, and The Cure). I lived in England at that time. This song has that retro feeling. And it’s also got great lyrics written by lead singer Darren Mulligan alongside Nick Herbert and Joshua Grimmett. Its lyrics are based upon 1 Corinthians 13:13. The video was filmed along the #PCH – Pacific Coast Highway.

SALVATION ERA – My #CountUp continues with my # 10 hit during my first 3½ years of salvation in Christ from August 2006 to January 2010. And this one gives me goosebumps when I hear it 19½ years later. Its uplifting lyrics. Its pop melody. Just hearing the song these days reminds me of those first few weeks and months at my very first church as a born-again Christian. It actually debuted on my chart at # 25 (bottom position) on my very first Sunday at church. Here’s how I revealed it on my chart for the week ending Sunday January 21ST 2007: “Live Like We’re Alive” – Joshua Pearson (lead vocalist), A.J. Cheek (lead guitarist), Brad Jones (guitarist), Adam Wann (bassist), and Adam Rowe (drummer) are Nevertheless out of Chattanooga Tennessee. This is their follow-up single to “The Real”.

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 July 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 22, Edition 422
“Friends”

When I was still living and working down south in Homestead Florida – you could say that I was sort of a recluse. It was particularly evident during my final decade there. As I was planning and preparing for my future retirement life – starting with a physical move away from Homestead – I decided that I would not be the same person to the north that I was to the south. I would get out and be physically and socially active – starting in my own neighborhood – and with a local non-profit organization – and definitely with my future home church.

In my former neighborhood of nearly 30 years I knew none of my neighbors, and none of them knew me. Some of them saw me drive to work early in the morning, and then return home from work early in the afternoon. They didn’t know where I went. They didn’t know what I did. I was the mysterious guy who didn’t look like much of the neighborhood or speak their language. Maybe I was an undercover detective – or a Federal agent – or a spy.

In my current neighborhood I’m part of the 30% that lives here year-round. (70% of the residents of my neighborhood are what we call “snowbirds”. They live up north during the Spring, Summer, and Autumn.) I’m also part of the 30% that is physically and socially active with activities, events, and meetings. (I’m actually the Treasurer of our Activities Committee.) I’m known by most of my neighbors on a first-name basis. I easily stand out, as I’m one of the youngest residents of my 55+ neighborhood. I know a little bit about most of my neighbors. I’m able to pray for my neighbors by name.

Exactly 2 years before I bought my home in my current neighborhood I discovered and committed to serving with the Sebring Historical Society in downtown Sebring. It was not on my radar. I didn’t plan it out. It just happened one day, and I’ve written about it numerous times here on #CountUp on my #TravelThursday blog. Looking back it was truly a “God Wink Moment”. God knew exactly what He was doing when I was suddenly diverted from Avon Park to Sebring on that chilly and dreary February morning in 2021. And now I get to chat, laugh, serve, and eat with my museum friends every week.

Back in Homestead when I was sitting at home during non-work hours I didn’t socialize with anyone (other than on Sunday mornings at church – and lunch after church with my second church family). I did a lot of Bible Study on my own, and I wrote Sermons and Communions at my computer. But something was missing. Fellowship was missing. Friendships were missing.

As the Bible says – “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Now that I have friends inside and outside of the church – I can preach the Gospel at all times – here online – and also out there in the world. Oh – and I can use words when necessary. In other words – I can walk my talk – whether anyone is watching or not.

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

Blogging Driving Geography Military Nature Shopping Travel

The Keystone State

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This post is all about the great state of Pennsylvania – America’s second state. It became a state just 5 days after Delaware became America’s first state in December 1787.

The last time I was in Pennsylvania was almost 19 years ago in October 2007 when I flew from South Florida to Philadelphia International Airport (#PHL) for my overnight flight to Rome Italy (#FCO) where I embarked on a 14-day Transatlantic Carnival cruise from Rome (Civitavecchia) back to Miami. (What a great cruise that was – one of the best ever.)

13 months before that in September 2006 I was in Pennsylvania on a military work trip at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove (north of Philadelphia).

15½ years before that in March 1991 I was in Pennsylvania en route to Miami out of #PHL. Me and a group of Airmen had arrived at Dover Air Force Base from Saudi Arabia (Operations Desert Shield / Storm), and we were transported (by bus) up to the Philadelphia area for a night at a hotel before flying back to Miami the next morning.

Of course – as I’ve written about for the past 3 weeks – I drove I-70 from Illinois to Maryland way back at the end of October 1985 as an 18-year-old. 168 miles of I-70 are in Pennsylvania.

Before that in the Boy Scouts – we may have entered Pennsylvania once or twice along the Appalachian Trail at the Mason-Dixon Line. I may have taken an elementary school field trip to Philadelphia during the mid-1970s. And I definitely visited Hersheypark a few times as a kid with family and extended family (cousins). We also visited the “Outlet Capital Of The World” – Reading – a few times so that my parents could go shopping at the Vanity Fair Outlet Center.

Late tonight I was supposed to be entering Pennsylvania again as part of my Ohio River cruise. We would’ve been docked in Pittsburgh shortly after daybreak tomorrow. I would’ve been exploring Pittsburgh (for the first time in my life) in the morning via a guided tour – and in the afternoon visiting the Heinz History Center. There probably would’ve been a third guided tour this Saturday morning.

I was supposed to be on the Ohio River right now (and since last Saturday). But it wasn’t meant to be. I’ll share why next – #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.