Month: June 2022

Categories
Blogging Driving Home Travel

Highlands County Florida

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last Thursday morning I actually returned home from a quick 2-day road-trip to and from Highlands County Florida – located about 3 hours from home.

A little over 101,000 residents call Highlands County home. Less than 23,000 live within the established limits of the 3 incorporated cities / towns of Avon Park, Sebring, and Lake Placid. (More than 78,000 residents live in adjacent unincorporated communities and rural areas of the county.)

U.S. 27 runs in a mostly NNW / SSE direction for about 48 miles through the county. U.S. 98 runs concurrent with U.S. 27 through the northern-half of the county.

So a little over 101,000 residents live within an 1,106-square mile county. By comparison – more people live within about 5 miles of me right now.

Highlands County is my future home, and on the first day I was there last week I met my Real Estate Agent for the first time at her office in Lake Placid. I followed her to 1 of her 2 Sebring offices, and then from there I got in her vehicle. We drove up the road (U.S. 27) to my future neighborhood (between Sebring and Avon Park). It was awesome to finally pass-through the front gate of that secure entrance. I got to check-out 3 separate condos currently for sale – a 2/2, a 3/2, and a 2/1 – in that order. The 2/2 was nice, but the 3/2 was wonderful. All 3 condos were fully or partially-furnished. I wasn’t sure I would like that. I loved it. They all had better furniture than I do right now !

I got to experience my future neighborhood for about an hour on that Tuesday. Before the experience I was about 98% sure that it was where I want to live (based on online research). Now I’m at 100%. We drove 1.2 miles clockwise around the neighborhood that surrounds a 10½-acre manmade oval-shaped lake. I loved everything about it. I’m looking forward to working with my Real Estate Agent early next year in the purchase of my future forever home.

My plan is to initially live (and work remotely) up there on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and live (and work on-site) my final year here in Homestead on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

So I would do a 3½-hour commute early on Sunday mornings and late on Wednesday afternoons. That’s my plan for now (subject to change).

I had a fun (less than) 48 hours up in my future retirement area of Highlands County. I enjoyed Breakfast with my only known friend in the area – a former resident of Homestead who moved to the area nearly 15 years ago. I also met lots of new friends at different places that I plan to serve with during my retirement era.

Next #TravelThursday we’ll visit one of those places up in Avon Park. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
History Holidays

Happy Flag Day

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Today – June 14TH – we observe Flag Day here in the U.S.A. It commemorates the adoption of our flag on this date in 1777.

For more on the origins of Flag Day – click here.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 278

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 nearly 45 years. Here’s this week’s chart – for the week ending Sunday June 12TH 2022 – the 278TH week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 18 Sunday Sermons
[3RD week @ # 1]		 Anne Wilson
2 2 12 Fill My Cup Andrew Ripp
3 4 6 Me On Your Mind Matthew West
4 3 14 Egypt Cory Asbury
5 6 4 I Will Carry You Ellie Holcomb
6 5 20 See Me Through It Brandon Heath
7 7 20 Brighter Days Blessing Offor
8 8 3 Love Is Everything We Need Unspoken
9 9 5 For God Is With Us for King + Country
10 10 2 Hymn Of Heaven Phil Wickham

# 1 This Week In:
2021 – “Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight)” – TobyMac
2020 – “I Will Fear No More” – The Afters
2019 – “Born Again” – Austin French
2018 – “The Way (New Horizon)” – Pat Barrett
2017 – “Live Like You’re Loved” – Hawk Nelson

499TH # 1 – Close observers of my blog and music chart may have noticed that “Sunday Sermons” is my 499TH # 1 smash ever (since my chart’s inception in 1985). So my 500TH # 1 smash is likely on my chart right now. It could be “Fill My Cup”, or “Me On Your Mind”, or maybe even “I Will Carry You”. We’ll find out next week, or the following week, or the week after that. #StayTuned

FORMER # 1s – Close observers of my blog and music chart may have also noticed that there have been some subtle updates recently to my # 1 HITS INDEX page. I’m currently updating the “Stateside Pop Era” which represents my 105 # 1 hits from the end of 1987 to nearly the end of 1992. I’m hoping to get that chart completed and uploaded in the weeks to come. #StayTuned

2 HITS TO BEAT – Both “See Me Through It” and “Brighter Days” spend their 20TH week each on my chart this week. They are back-to-back # 1 hits from March and April that entered my chart at # 9 and # 10 respectively at the end of January. Right now they are my Top 2 hits of 2022. They are two different styles of music, but they both point to our God Almighty as the Way – in the trial and the pain – fire and the rain – love will find you in your pain. #OurGodIsGreat

This would normally conclude another weekend of blog posts, but I’ve got another one tomorrow (Tuesday). Next weekend it’s back to normal – with 4 new entries – known as #TravelThursday,  #RetroFriday,  #SundayScripture, and #Top10Monday.

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) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday June 12TH 2022, 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.

Several weeks ago here on #SundayScripture I began transcribing one of my recent sermons that I preached to my church family at the end of February – “Stones & Stumbles”. It’s the follow-up to “Holy & Redeemed” which I presented on here in December and January. “Stones & Stumbles” covers 1 Peter 1:23-2:9.

Here’s Part 4 of my sermon:

… So back to Psalm 118:22:

The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.

And here’s the very next verse:

This is the LORD’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.

And I know that you know this verse:

This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

I say that every Sunday morning during Praise & Worship. I say it to myself every morning. And I’ve programmed Alexa (she’s a friend of Siri). I’ve programmed Alexa to say it to me every morning. You see 15½ years ago when my salvation started – it was the start of a new day. It was the start of a new life. It was the day the LORD had made. Our Lord – our cornerstone. He’s done great things in my life. He’ll continue to do great things. Our Lord is victorious. The day of His victory has already arrived. Its completion awaits another day. Until then – let us rejoice, and be glad – in His day of victory.

And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more – you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ – you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say – “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem – chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.” (1 Peter 2:5-6)

Yes – you who trust Him recognize the honor God has given Him. But for those who reject Him – “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” And “He is the stone that makes people stumble – the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s Word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. (1 Peter 2:7-8)

So we believers – You and I – God’s people – we are living stones. We are the spiritual temple that’s built on the foundation of Christ. We are heirs of God’s blessings. He lives within us, for we belong to Him.

You know on this journey God did not intend us to pray, and praise and worship Him, and celebrate Him – in isolation – in private – in secrecy. He wants to build us together – publicly – as His living stones in His spiritual temple. God chose us to carry out His mission to the world out there. He commands us to go and tell the world about Him.

First Peter Chapter 2 Verse 9:

You are a chosen people. You are royal priests – a holy nation – God’s very own possession. As a result – you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

Allow me to unpack this verse – as a modern preacher would say.

The Apostle Peter looks back at Scripture (in other words – the Old Testament) – back when the Israelites were a holy people – who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth – the LORD your God has chosen you to be His own special treasure. (That’s from Deuteronomy Chapter 7.)

Peter continues referring to Scripture – back when the Israelites were My own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth – for all the earth belongs to Me. And you will be My kingdom of priests – My holy nation. (That’s from Exodus Chapter 19 where the LORD called out to Moses from Mount Sinai and gave him instructions to announce to the Israelites.)

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

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.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp