Month: April 2020

Weekend Kickoff Mini-Thoughts

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date April 16, 2020

It’s back for the first time in 5 months – a rapid-fire session of thoughts on my mind right this minute:

I miss doing these fun blog posts.
This was a fan favorite from the early days of this blog.
By “early days” I mean late-2000s.
Most of you weren’t tracking with me back then.
“Tracking with me” – that’s a favorite phrase among pastors and preachers.
This “Sunday Scripture” I’ll look back at my 4-part sermon “Faces & Heels”.
It’ll be a nice wrap-up of that 4-Sunday experiment.
So I’m nearing the end of Week 4 of my work-at-home experience.
It’s an experience – no longer an experiment.
The biggest “pro” – not having to deal with traffic.
The biggest “con” – working longer (and more erratic) hours at home.
I’m working out of my kitchen.
I never eat in my kitchen.
I always eat in my living room.
I’ve driven only 88 miles over the past 28 days.
I last filled-up with gas 37 days ago.
Last week I walked only 11.63 miles.
That was barely over 25,000 steps in 7 days.
That was the lowest ever during my 4½-year #Fitbit era.
3 weeks ago was my 3RD-lowest week of the era.
Ironically despite little to no exercise – I’m losing weight.
I can’t explain that.
Maybe I’ll get up and walk at dawn this morning.
Lately we’ve been close to 80°F at dawn.
This morning we could actually dip into the lower-70s.
That’s an incentive to get up and walk around outside.
Next week marks 12 years since I quit smoking !
I smoked from age 11 to 41.
You know I’m doing a lot less laundry since I’ve been working at home.
My washer and dryer are using less electric power.
My A.C. is using more electric power.
It runs at the same temperature day and night now (77°F).
Happy 39TH Birthday tomorrow to my sister-in-law Christina !
She doesn’t read this blog.
Nobody in my family reads this blog.
Happy 10TH Birthday this coming Monday to my oldest niece Taylor !
I met Taylor for the first time at #DFW when she was 24 days old.
I’m looking forward to seeing my family again at the end of June.
Well I’m running out of things to write, so let’s end it here.
That was abrupt.

My Top 10 Hits – Week 165

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date April 13, 2020

Every Monday I post my all-new Top 10 Christian hit music chart based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay. It’s the continuation of a weekly hobby that goes back 40+ years. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday April 12TH 2020:

“Almost Home” – MercyMe [# 1 last week / 17TH week on chart]
“Alive And Breathing” – Matt Maher [3 / 5TH]
“I Will Fear No More” – The Afters [2 / 12TH]
“(I’ll) Never Let You Down” – Hawk Nelson Ft. Hunter & Tara [7 / 3RD]
“See A Victory” – Elevation Worship [5 / 10TH]
“Amen” – Micah Tyler [4 / 8TH]
“Your Name Is Power” – Rend Collective [6 / 14TH]
“Edge Of My Seat” – TobyMac Ft. Cochren & Co. [8 / 3RD]
“The God Who Stays” – Matthew West [9 / 21ST]
“Waymaker” – Michael W. Smith Ft. Vanessa Campagna [10 / 12TH]

# 1 This Week In:
2019 – “Confidence” – Sanctus Real
2018 – “Freedom Hymn” – Austin French
2017 – “I Have This Hope” – Tenth Avenue North

MercyMe are still at # 1 for an 8TH week in a row. It’s the 2ND-longest-running # 1 smash on my chart during this current era – 2ND to “Only Jesus” by Casting Crowns (10 weeks at # 1 in 2018).

Coming up on Memorial Day Weekend here in the U.S. I’ll present a special Tuesday blog post featuring all of my # 1 hits since my chart was resurrected for this current era in February of 2017. It will be a 5TH blog post for that holiday weekend, and it will become a permanent page that will be maintained on this web site. By then maybe we’ll have my 50TH # 1 hit. (“Almost Home” is # 46.)

♫ Almost home
Brother it won’t be long
Soon all your burdens will be gone
With all your strength
Sister run wild – run free
Hold up your head
Keep pressing on
We are almost home ♫

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again this upcoming weekend – with 4 new entries on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday. I don’t blog on Saturdays. That’s my day of rest.

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. I’m also on Twitter and Flickr.

Be blessed my friends ! May the 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, Christian, KLOVE, Music

Bible Blogging Christian Church God Holidays Ministry Scripture Sports Wrestling

Sunday Scripture

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date April 12, 2020

(Continued from last Sunday.)

All right. So this is Part 4 of my 4-part online-only sermon that I started here on Sunday March 22ND, and then continued on Sunday March 29TH and Sunday April 05TH. It’s Easter Sunday – Resurrection Sunday. It’s a great and glorious day, as is every day on this fantastic journey. But this one is extra special, for He is risen. He is risen indeed !

Let’s close-out this sermon in a big way.

Let’s go to the Old Testament with wisdom from the Book of Ecclesiastes:

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls – the other can reach out and help. (4:9-10a)

That’s from the current edition of the New Living Translation. It was actually revised from the 1ST edition from almost 25 years ago. It used these words:

Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one – they get a better return for their labor.

I like that – both the original and the revision.

You know that’s called a tag team in the WWE. When one of the superstars gets tired or gets beaten up – he or she tags in his or her tag team partner, and they keep the fight going with their adversaries while the other one rests and recuperates, and cheers his or her partner on.

It’s kind of like us when one of our brothers or sisters submits to the enemy and needs our help to pull them out of the dark and dreary culvert that runs along both sides of the journey. Sometimes we stumble. Sometimes we fall. We can’t walk this journey alone. I learned that during my first 100 days of this fantastic journey. See back then I was an orphan – not part of a church body – not belonging to any church family. I had no tag team partners. I had no stable (another WWE term). I walked alone. I knew I couldn’t go much further like that. I mean I realized that I was rescued and saved by my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, but what’s next ? I needed a church family to find out what’s next. I soon found a church family that I could grow with.

My next sermon (already written) – is titled “Church & State”. It explores the urgency of being an important part of a church family. Our God commands it. I hope to preach it to my church family real soon – once we gather again in person corporately.

As the Bible says (in Ecclesiastes 4:10b & 12-13):

Someone who falls alone is in real trouble. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

There’s something to be said there about power in numbers. That’s a common theme in the WWE. When a lovable babyface is being attacked by a miserable heel oftentimes a fellow face or a group of faces emerge from the locker room area backstage, run down the ramp, jump in to the ring, and help the face in peril by ridding the heel(s) from the ring and saving their brother or sister.

It kind of works the same way on this fantastic journey. That’s why we need each other as believers and followers of our God Almighty. We must fight the enemy together. We must encourage and inspire and bless each other. We must cheer each other on. We must pray for each other. We will conquer. God is on our side.

You know I’ve been to a lot of WWE LIVE events in bars and arenas over the past 19 years. We’re a unique type of people. I call them “my people”. They like what I like. They came to see what I came to see. They cheer who I cheer. They jeer who I jeer. We even dress alike. “My people.”

You know who else us are “my people” ? My church family. We meet and greet every Sunday. We pray together. We sing together. We praise and worship together. We listen to the sermon together. “My people.” God’s people.

Last weekend was WrestleMania Weekend – a 36-year tradition within the WWE. It’s the peak of the year. It’s what it all leads-up to. It’s what it’s all about. The storylines end here. WrestleMania Weekend is usually held in a football stadium, and 75,000 to 100,000 wrestling fans worldwide show up for it en masse. Not this year though. Because of COVID-19 WrestleMania Weekend was held inside an empty training building. The show went on though.

This weekend is Easter Weekend – a nearly 2,000-year tradition here in this world. It’s the peak of the year. It’s what it all leads-up to. It’s what it’s all about. The story didn’t end on Friday on that cross. It continued on Sunday when Jesus Christ conquered death and rose again. Easter Weekend is usually celebrated in church buildings big and small, and millions of Christians worldwide show up for it en masse. Many Christians only enter a church building on Easter Sunday. Not this year though. Because of COVID-19 Easter Weekend is being celebrated in our respective homes. The celebration must go on.

Luke 24-34

HE IS RISEN ! HE IS RISEN – INDEED ! The Lord has really risen ! He appeared to Peter. (Luke 24:34). He was seen by the Twelve, and the more than 500 of His followers at the time, and by James (the half-brother of Jesus), and by all the apostles, and by Paul. (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)

Today we join our brothers and sisters in Christ worldwide – God’s children – God’s church – as we observe and celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ – our Lord and Savior.

We join our brothers and sisters of this global church family on this Resurrection Sunday, but we know that every waking moment of every new day is a renewed celebration of Christ conquering the grave, rising from the dead, and giving us life. HE IS RISEN ! HE IS RISEN – INDEED ! And since He is risen – we have risen from the darkness that we once knew.

He was concealed in the Old Testament. He was revealed in the New Testament. See Jesus keeps His promises – then and now. He does what He says He is going to do. He is who He says He is. He is the Messiah. He is risen. He is risen – indeed. He is alive. He sits on the throne of Heaven. He is the King of Kings. He is the Lord of Lords. He gives us life. He breathes life onto our dry bones. Breath of God – breathe on us ! He makes all things new. He gives us hope. He gives us purpose. He makes us vessels of vibrant living waters.

YES ! On this Resurrection Sunday that the LORD has made – let’s observe – let’s rejoice – let’s celebrate – our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ – The Risen One !