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 2ND Friday of the month, so I go back 25 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday June 15TH 1997:
“Call Me” was my # 1 smash of all of 1997, and “I Want You” was my # 2 smash of the entire year. Both hits spent 30+ weeks on my chart.
Coming in at # 3 for all of 1997 was the debut smash from Third Eye Blind. Their “Semi-Charmed Life” entered my chart at # 16 on this weekend 25 years ago, and just 2 weeks later it was my # 1 smash. It spent 32 weeks on my chart. They followed it up with other great memorable songs – “How’s It Going To Be” (another # 1 smash on my chart), and the very long-running “Jumper” which spent 43 weeks on my chart. All 3 tracks were from their self-titled debut album that has been certified platinum 6 times.
Third Eye Blind dominated the Top 40 airwaves for a short period of time. They were an integral part of the soundtrack of late-’90s U.S. pop music. They are currently on tour this summer celebrating “25 Years In The Blind”.
Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 30 years ago to June 1992. It’s when Red Hot Chili Peppers were at # 2 with a song in which Anthony Kiedis shared some dark parts of his life with the world.
It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday with 3 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !
All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp
Welcome back to #TravelThursday. A couple of weeks ago on the Friday leading-in to Memorial Day Weekend here in the U.S.A. I visited the Miami-Dade Zoological Park And Gardens – also known as Zoo Miami. It’s about 18 miles from my home.
This was my 6TH visit over the past 11 years – but first in over 5 years. I usually like to visit once every 2 or 3 years on a cool day during the wintertime (dry season). On this occasion I visited on a sunny and hot day at the end of May (rainy season). I actually took advantage of free admission for all military and veterans during the holiday weekend.
Zoo Miami is huge. It sits on about 750 acres of land – of which less than half is actually developed for animals, employees, and visitors. Over 3,000 animals and 500 species call Zoo Miami home.
This place holds a very special place in my heart, as it’s the first zoo that I ever visited in my life – as a 20 or 21-year-old in 1988. (I never got the zoo experience as a kid.) So I consider it my “childhood” zoo that I’ve now been visiting every few years for the past 34 years. I usually spend a little over 3 hours with each visit. I also don’t see everything during those 3 hours, so I try to visit the exhibits that are new, or that I didn’t get to experience on my previous visit.
On this Friday before the Memorial Day holiday the zoo was absolutely packed with hundreds (maybe over a thousand) elementary, middle, and high school students – roaming in packs large and small – counterclockwise around the park (4 miles around). So I followed the few adults and families that traversed the park clockwise – to mostly avoid the packs of school kids.
That would’ve been nice to visit the National Zoo in Washington D.C. as a school kid in the area back in the late-1970s and early-1980s.
I took 40 photos during my 3-hour trip around the zoo. Here are a few:
Next #TravelThursday we’ll visit my future retirement area of Highlands County Florida. Let’s keep traveling together.
All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp
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 05TH 2022 – the 277TH week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:
# 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
MATTHEW WEST – My # 1 artist over the past 277 weeks (by far) continues his ascent up my chart with the brilliant “Me On Your Mind” – which he performed on the K-LOVE Fan Awards. It looked and sounded great on TV. I consider “Me On Your Mind” to be a return-to-form for Matthew. It’s a typical Matthew West track – perfect to singalong to on the radio. His previous track – “What If” – was a quite-a-bit-unique sound for him, but it definitely worked, as it was his 4TH # 1 smash on my chart (out of 6 singles).
K-LOVE FAN AWARDS – What a spectacular show it was. I live-tweeted during the 8 PM EDT premiere broadcast on TBN. I actually started tweeting an hour earlier at 7 PM, as the #RedCarpet show aired on the TBN app. I tweeted 39 times during the 3 hours, and I received nearly 3,000 organic impressions. You can catch all of these tweets at my Twitter account @ChrisMDay. It was good to see fellow K-LOVE fans also live-tweeting the show. I plan to do it again next June, but before then I am happy to announce that I’ll be live-tweeting the 53RD Annual GMA Dove Awards as it airs on TBN on Friday October 21ST 2022 at 8 PM EDT.
This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again this upcoming weekend – with 5 new entries – known as #TravelThursday, #RetroFriday, #SundayScripture, #Top10Monday, and a special Tuesday salute to our United States flag.
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
Greetings my friends. It is Sunday June 05TH 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.
Today is my 55TH birthday, and I’ll celebrate it with my church family today in service and at Longhorn Steakhouse after service.
A couple of 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 3 of my sermon:
Like newborn babies – you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment – now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.(1 Peter 2:2-3)
You know I’ve been saved for 15½ years. I remember that first year to year-and-a-half when I was spiritually a newborn Christian – at 39 and 40 years old – living a brand-new life that I had not previously known. I was running towards my Lord & Savior – running as fast as I could to get further and further away from the darkness that I had left behind. That was 2006 and 2007 for me.
And just like then – I still crave pure spiritual milk. What’s pure spiritual milk ? Well I’m so glad you asked ! That’s God’s Word in the Bible. That’s reading and studying His Word on the pages of those 66 books of the Bible. That’s teaching what I’m learning from God’s Word. That’s preaching to the world God’s Good News. You see I preach here, and I also preach online – via social media. And we should all be teachers and preachers of God’s Good News using the skills that He has blessed us with.
You know if you’re not as excited about God’s plan for you as you were when you first became born again (whenever that was) – then you need to get excited. You need to crave – you need to cry out – for God and His Word.
But just as Pastor Bob preached on a couple of weeks ago. You can’t live – and thrive – on just milk alone. You also need the meat. You also need to mature.
You are coming to Christ – who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but He was chosen by God for great honor. (1 Peter 2:4)
Sounds like Psalm 118 Verse 22 right there – The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.
A cornerstone of a building sets its foundation. It gives the building its overall shape. It forms the base of the corner of the building – where two walls join together. It’s the most important of all of the stones. We depend on the cornerstone.
Isaiah Chapter 28 Verse 16. (This one’s not up there. I’ll just read it to you.):
Therefore – this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Look ! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem – a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.
So what are you trying to tell me – Chris ? Here’s what I’m saying. The LORD Himself – is the cornerstone of Jerusalem – the true city of God. He is the foundation – to rely and depend on. He is firm and tested – to all who believe. If only the leaders and the people would turn to Him. And that applies to present-day time as well. If only the leaders and the people would turn to Christ – our cornerstone.
One of my favorite worship songs that I discovered – maybe 10 to 12 years ago – is “Cornerstone”. I heard it for the first time while visiting another church – a large church – I think near Fort Myers – while on vacation. It was one of the Praise & Worship songs during the start of service. I had never heard it before. But I started singing along immediately. And I got louder and louder. And I soon put my hands up. And I shed tears of joy for my “Cornerstone”:
That’s a great song right there. “Cornerstone”. Our God is our cornerstone. Christ alone – cornerstone. Weak made strong – in the Savior’s love. Through the storm. He is Lord. Lord of all.
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
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