Month: November 2020

Categories
Blogging Career Holidays Military Travel

Honoring My Fellow Veterans

It’s Veterans Day here in the U.S.A.

This past weekend marked the 35TH anniversary that the United States Air Force shipped me off to a foreign country solo for the first time in my life. As an 18½-year-old I flew from Washington Dulles Airport nonstop to London Heathrow Airport. It was an overnight flight from November 09TH into November 10TH of 1985. From there I took British Rail westward to Swindon in Wiltshire, and then from there I hired a cab to take me up to RAF Fairford in the Cotswolds of Gloucestershire – my home for the next 2 years. (It was my first permanent duty station.)

I’ve been a member of the United States Air Force for the past 36 years now – going back to when I first signed on the dotted line of the delayed enlistment program near the start of my senior year in high school. I was hesitant in joining the military way back then, but it all turned out just right, and it’s become my career. I’d do it all over again.

To my fellow Veterans – this is our day. From one Veteran to all of you – I thank you for serving your nation so that we may be free indeed.

Veterans Day 2020

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 195

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 November 08TH 2020:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 2 10 No Hold On Me Matty Mullins
2 3 6 Jericho Andrew Ripp
3 1 11 Rise Up (Lazarus) Cain
4 4 10 This Is What We Live For Big Daddy Weave
5 5 13 God So Loved We The Kingdom
6 6 5 Truth Be Told Matthew West
7 7 6 Start Right Here Casting Crowns
8 10 2 Evidence Josh Baldwin
9 – 1 Famous For (I Believe) Tauren Wells Ft. Jenn Johnson
10 – 1 Graves Into Gardens Elevation Worship

# 1 This Week In:
2019 – “Fear No More” – Building 429
2018 – “Only Jesus” – Casting Crowns
2017 – “Different” – Micah Tyler

I love when a debut artist makes it onto my chart, and then hits # 1 with their very first song. Matty Mullins has done it. I had never heard of him a little over a couple of months ago, and now he sings my favorite song on the radio. It’s so catchy that I’m still singing the chorus over and over again, and I haven’t actually heard it on the radio for a day or two.

♫ No more shackles on my feet
The devil’s got no hold on me
Jesus blood has set me free
The devil’s got no hold on me

He’s got no hold (no hold !)
Hold (got no hold !)
The devil’s got no hold on me ♫

It’s a good idea to remind yourself of that when the now is rough and tough and the future looks bleak and uncertain. If you’re a believer and follower of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ then say it out loud and believe it, for the devil’s got no hold on you, as Jesus blood has set you free. I’m preaching that to myself too.

Tauren Wells is back with his 7TH hit on my chart over the past 3 years. “Famous For (I Believe)” has really grown on me (slowly) over the past 3 to 4 months. I really didn’t like the song for awhile. I actually thought that it was a remake of an old (’80s or ’90s) song, as it’s got that RETRO feel to it. As it turns out it’s a new song that Tauren cowrote with other artists. After 3 to 4 months of hearing it on the radio I’m now singing along to it.

I’ll get to see Tauren perform it LIVE in concert this upcoming February. He’s one of TobyMac’s friends on the “Hits Deep Tour 2021”, and I’ll be there for it here in South Florida. It’ll be my 4TH TobyMac concert !

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again this upcoming weekend – with 5 new entries on Wednesday (special holiday blog post), 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.

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

For Jesus is the One referred to in Scriptures where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else ! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11-12 NLT)

I do believe that. I’ve seen so many colleagues of mine come towards Christ and His church, and then leave Him and His church behind. It’s heartbreaking to lose a church brother or a sister to the world. It’s even more disheartening when a church leader leaves God’s Kingdom.

I’ve been part of God’s Kingdom now for the past 14 years and almost 3 months. This coming January will mark my 14TH anniversary of being part of a church family. I’m with my 2ND church family now, and this coming March will mark my 6TH anniversary with them. I love my current church family more than ever before !

I’ve experienced an abundance of good times over these past 14 years, and some bad times too. Some of the bad times that I’ve experienced I would have never imagined occurring post-salvation as a young believer and follower of God. 2009 comes to mind. In fact Thanksgiving Day of 2009 comes to mind. That’s when I had planned to get engaged to the woman that God had placed in my life. That never happened, and it took me awhile to recover from that. Not every day will be a perfect day on this journey. Sometimes the valleys last a bit longer than they should.

I’ve had several Pastors along my journey who weren’t as genuine as they seemed. I don’t want to be a Pastor like that. I want to treat my brothers and sisters the same way every day as I treat them on Sunday mornings.

I’ve heard it said many times that most people love Christ, but some of them just don’t care for His followers (the church).

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40 NLT)

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
2000s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 2005

Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 25, 30, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 1ST Friday of the month, so I go back 15 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday November 06TH 2005:

  1. “Don’t Lie” – The Black Eyed Peas
  2. “Gold Digger” – Kanye West
  3. “Wake Me Up When September Ends” – Green Day
  4. “Photograph” – Nickelback
  5. “Because Of You” – Kelly Clarkson

A new season of my weekly RETRO feature has begun, and I vow to no longer talk negative of 2005.

Check out Nickelback at # 4 with one of their biggest hits – “Photograph”. I loved Nickelback music on the radio back in the day. I thought they were so cool as a band. Nowadays they are mostly maligned by grumpy middle-aged men who used to like them. I’m not one to malign a band that produced 6 big hits on my chart from 2001 to 2006. They would’ve kept on going if it weren’t for the fact that I was saved by Christ in August of 2006, and I completely turned-off the secular music. Oh – Nickelback’s 6TH and final hit in 2006 ? – “Savin’ Me”.

I’ve got an interesting anniversary coming up. Later this month in 2005 I was given an XM Satellite Radio for #ThanksChristmasGiving (combined Thanksgiving / Christmas holiday for my family). I still have it, and I still listen to it today. It’s a countertop boombox-style radio with a detachable / extendable satellite antenna that sits on my windowsill facing southward. Back in 2005 I discovered what turned out to be their # 1 station – 20 On 20. It was a fast-paced all-request Top 20 station. It kind of rejuvenated my pop chart at the time.

So Happy 15TH Anniversary SiriusXM. I’ve been a loyal listener longer than anyone else I know.

Next Friday on RETRO I’ll go back 25 years ago to November 1995.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going RETRO with me !

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries