Categories
1990s Blogging Career Driving Geography Holidays Military Travel Weather

Destination: Saudi Arabia

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. For this first edition of 2023 – I look back at how my year started 32 years ago in 1991.

Just 5 days after returning home to Homestead Florida after driving for 18 hours and 43 minutes and 1,103 miles from McLean Virginia (on Christmas vacation with my family) – I was on my way to Syracuse New York with a small group of airmen from Homestead AFB. Once on the ground at Hancock Field we joined-up with airmen of the New York Air National Guard, as we awaited our flight over to the Saudi Arabian desert. We were delayed by a blizzard for a few days – January 02ND and 03RD.

We finally took off late on January 04TH, and we touched down on the runway at Al Kharj AB Saudi Arabia at 1204 local time (0404 U.S. East Coast time) on January 05TH 1991 – exactly 32 years ago this morning.

I was assigned my tent at “Tent City” – W-23 – and I quickly made 9 new friends who would also be my tentmates in war (Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm).

I traveled a lot during the 10 days from December 27TH 1990 to January 05TH 1991. From Northern Virginia to South Florida by car – from South Florida to Central New York by plane – and from Central New York to near Riyadh Saudi Arabia by cargo plane. One thing was certain – I wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Everything else – was uncertain.

Next #TravelThursday let’s take a trip to PortMiami. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2023 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 22 Hits – 2022

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. But this week it’s a special – My Top 22 Hits of 2022:

RK PK WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 27 See Me Through It Brandon Heath
2 1 26 Sunday Sermons Anne Wilson
3 1 20 Good Morning Mercy Jason Crabb
4 1 25 Brighter Days Blessing Offor
5 1 19 New Creation Mac Powell
6 2 21 Thank God For Sunday Morning Cochren & Co.
7 1 18 Hold You Tight Dan Bremnes
8 1 15 Weary Traveler Jordan St. Cyr
9 2 16 Fill My Cup Andrew Ripp
10 1 13 Ain’t Nobody Cody Carnes
11 1 14 Me On Your Mind Matthew West
12 1 13 Love Is Everything We Need Unspoken
13 1 14 Jesus Is Coming Back Jordan Feliz Ft. Mandisa & Jonathan Traylor
14 1 17 Egypt Cory Asbury
15 1 10 Who I Am Ben Fuller
16 2 12 Holy Spirit Come Patrick Mayberry
17 2 16 Miracle Power We The Kingdom
18 2 10 Come What May We Are Messengers
19 2 13 Love Me Like I Am for King & Country Ft. Jordin Sparks
20 1 9 Wonder Working All Creatures
21 1 10 Getting Started Jeremy Camp
22 4 14 Build A Boat Colton Dixon

# 1 For The Year In:
2021
– “Fires” – Jordan St. Cyr
2020 – “Almost Home” – MercyMe
2019
– “Nobody (But Jesus)” – Casting Crowns Ft. Matthew West 
2018
– “Do It Again” – Elevation Worship
2017
– “Broken Things” – Matthew West

BRANDON HEATH – His 2ND single on my chart (and 1ST since 2017) finished as my longest-running hit of 2022 – and my # 1 smash overall. It entered my chart early in the year – on my 5TH chart of 2022 at the end of January. It stayed on through the end of July – peaking at # 1 for 2 weeks right in the middle of its chart life in April.

JORDAN ST. CYR – His “Weary Traveler” was my # 8 hit of 2022. He had my # 1 smash overall of 2021 – “Fires”. Both songs are from his self-titled album. Jordan is 1 of 5 artists who were also on My Top 21 Of 2021 chart a year ago to include Matthew West, We The Kingdom, Jeremy Camp, and We Are Messengers. In fact – We Are Messengers were on both end-of-year charts with the same song – “Come What May”. It was # 20 overall in 2021 and # 18 overall in 2022.

MATTHEW WEST – My # 1 artist of the past 306 weeks with 8 songs and 145 weeks on my chart – Matthew West – makes it 6 years in a row on my year-end chart. This year he did it with “Me On Your Mind”. I preached a sermon to my church family yesterday that was based on his 2020 hit – “The God Who Stays”. That was my # 7 hit overall of 2020.

CONCLUSION – My Top 22 Of 2022 chart was compiled by awarding 10 points for each week at # 1, 9 points for # 2, and so forth and so on down to 1 point for # 10. The points were then added, and the hits were ranked. 56 songs charted in 2022. There were 15 # 1 hits, and they all made it onto my chart above. It was a great year for positive and encouraging music on the radio that told the story of God and gave Him all of the glory. What a great chart to represent His music. Let’s continue to praise and worship Him as we go forth into 2023.

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again with the new weekend – and 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 our 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) 2023 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday January 01ST 2023, 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. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

It’s the start of a brand new year. My hope for you is for 2023 to be greater than 2022.

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold – I am doing a new thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it ? I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV)

When I was young in the Lord – during the early part of my salvation in Christ – I forgot where I came from. I erased the past – the memories of the good, the bad, and the ugly of my 39 years on this Earth at that point. But as I continued to move forth and mature in my Lord + Savior Jesus Christ – I realized that our God does not want me to (literally) forget the journey of old. He’s doing a new thing for me. He’s made me into a new creation. He wants me to see where I am – versus where I came from – whether it be yesterday, last week, last month, last year, or 17 years ago (before salvation for me). He wants to continue to lead me to His way – which is the only way forth to eternal life with our God.

My hope for you in 2023 is that you will read my testimony, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord + Savior, and honor Him above everyone and everything else.

… for 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. (1 Peter 2:9 NLT)

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) 2023 Christopher M. Day, CountUp