Month: September 2021

Fanning Island Kiribati

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date September 30, 2021

#TravelThursday continues, and in this edition we visit Fanning Island – part of the Republic of Kiribati. I’ve never been south of the Equator, but on this visit to the island it’s as close as I got to it – just below 3.9° north latitude. That’s about 250 miles north of the Equator.

I visited during the first week of March of 2006 as part of a 10-day NCL cruise with my family out of Hawaii – about 900 miles due north of Fanning Island. (Back then NCL had to sail to Kiribati and back in order to legally operate a Hawaiian Islands cruise under the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886.)

It’s the only time in my life that I crossed-over the International Date Line. The local time on Fanning Island is exactly 24 hours ahead (GMT + 14) of Honolulu (GMT – 10). Although the International Date Line straddles the 180TH meridian – it extends way to the east near the Equator so that all of Kiribati’s scattered islands are within a few hours of each other. Fanning Island is thus on the most advanced time zone on Earth, so it celebrates each new day first.

Kiribati has about 120,000 residents, and that includes about 2,500 scattered among 8 small villages on Fanning Island’s 13 square miles. The island is actually an atoll – a narrow strip of land that completely or partially encircles a lagoon.

I did not take pictures of anything before about 11 years ago. Luckily my brother had a camera at the time, and he documented our vacation back then via hundreds of photos – including our day across the line on Fanning Island:

YES – That’s me in that final photo from 15½ years ago. #DearYoungerMe

Join me next #TravelThursday as we visit another location on the face of this earth.

They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. You can go to bed without fear. You will lie down and sleep soundly. You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. (Proverbs 3:23-26 NLT)

Tags Cruise, Fanning Island, Hawaii, Kiribati, Travel

Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 241

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date September 27, 2021

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 40+ years. Here’s this week’s chart:

COUNTUP MINISTRIES	FOR THE WEEK ENDING SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 26TH 2021	WEEK 241

TW	LW	WKS	SONG TITLE	ARTIST / SITE
1	1	11	Into The Wild [5TH week @ # 1]	Josh Baldwin
2	2	7	Thank You Lord	Chris Tomlin Ft. Thomas Rhett & Florida Georgia Line
3	3	11	What If	Matthew West
4	4	21	Yes He Can	Cain
5	5	9	House Of The Lord	Phil Wickham
6	6	25	Gospel Song	Rhett Walker
7	9	5	Promises	Maverick City Music
8	8	9	Sunday Morning Feeling	Apollo LTD Ft. Ryan Stevenson
9	10	3	Magnetic	Newsboys
10	–	1	Relate	for King & Country

# 1 This Week In:
2020 – “God So Loved” – We The Kingdom
2019 – “Nobody (But Jesus)” – Casting Crowns Ft. Matthew West
2018 – “Only Jesus” – Casting Crowns
2017 – “Broken Things” – Matthew West

NO CHANGE – My regular weekly chart is back after taking the week off last week in lieu of my Top 10 chart for the Summer Of 2021. There hasn’t been much chart action over the past few weeks. My Top 5 this week is the same as last week and the week before. There were no new entries last week, but this week for King & Country return with their latest that you can “Relate” to. It’s Joel’s and Luke’s 6TH hit on my chart, and it’s their 1ST hit since 2017 that’s not from their gold-certified “Burn The Ships” album.

250 – This is Week 241 of the current era of my chart that was resurrected during Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017 here in the U.S.A. Week 250 occurs at the end of November. On a special Tuesday blog post on November 30TH 2021 I’ll present a special chart where I’ll #CountUp my Top 25 hits of all 250 weeks. At least 1 of my Top 10 hits this week will be on that chart.

This blog is # 35 worldwide on the Top 80 Christian Music Blogs and Websites in 2021 chart. Thank You for including us Feedspot !

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, Chart, Christian, KLOVE, Music, Radio

Bible Blogging Christian Church God History Ministry Music Scripture Travel

Sunday Scripture

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date September 26, 2021

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday September 26TH 2021, 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.

Yesterday afternoon here in my hometown at our local small performing arts theatre downtown I experienced this awesome event:

What do you get when you combine #TravelThursday, #RetroFriday, #SundayScripture, and #Top10Monday ? Well besides a normal weekend here on my blog you also get that music show above. It was essentially the story of the history of this great nation of ours as told through 400 years of music from coast-to-coast. It traveled the country and highlighted the music that emanated from each region. It was quite patriotic and spiritual. It was pretty much a singalong and clapalong as our 4-piece band (led by Matthew Sabatella) performed on stage via numerous musical instruments.

Once we arrived in the 20TH Century I pretty much knew every song performed, and I joined the singalong. The small audience definitely got louder as the years progressed into our lifetimes. It was definitely a “feel-good” 100-minute show.

Be filled with the Holy Spirit – singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. (Ephesians 5:18b-19)

(That Scripture was featured during an early segment of the show.)

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.

Tags Bible, Blog, Christ, Christian, Church, Communion, God, Jesus, Minister, Ministry, Scripture, Sermon, Sunday

1980s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1986

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date September 24, 2021

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 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 35 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday September 28TH 1986:

“Stuck With You” – Huey Lewis And The News
“Pretty In Pink” – The Psychedelic Furs
“(Forever) Live And Die” – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
“You Can Call Me Al” – Paul Simon
“Brand New Lover” – Dead Or Alive

35 years ago next month – October 1986 – I saw Huey Lewis And The News (supported by Bruce Hornsby And The Range) LIVE in concert in London England at the historic Hammersmith Odeon. 9 days later I saw Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) LIVE in concert in Oxford England at the Apollo. They were two great concerts, and they were my 3RD and 4TH concerts ever in my life (at age 19).

OMD is my favorite electronic pop act of all-time, and “(Forever) Live And Die” is my favorite song from them. It was the lead single from perhaps my favorite album / cassette of all-time – “The Pacific Age”. I actually got to see OMD LIVE in concert again – nearly 33 years later in August 2019 in Fort Lauderdale Florida (just up the road from me). I sat near the front row (far-left corner), and me and a bunch of fellow concert-goers (all strangers) were singing and dancing so actively that during “Dreaming” Andy McCluskey came over and cheered us on from the stage as he sang and danced. It was an awesome sight to see and experience !

OMD

2 years ago here on RETRO I wrote about that concert experience. Read all about it.

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 !