Month: March 2024

Sunday Scripture

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date March 31, 2024

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday March 31ST 2024, 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.

Today I observe and celebrate my 18TH Easter Sunday with my brothers and sisters of my church family. Before salvation – Easter was just another day of the year. Now it’s the most important day of the year – and the reason why I live today.

As the Bible says in the Gospel According to Mark – Chapter 16 (1-7):

Saturday evening – when the Sabbath ended – Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning – just at sunrise – they went to the tomb. On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb ?” But as they arrived – they looked up and saw that the stone – which was very large – had already been rolled aside.

When they entered the tomb – they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said – “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth – who was crucified. He isn’t here ! He is risen from the dead ! Look – this is where they laid His body. Now go and tell His disciples – including Peter – that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there – just as He told you before He died.”

HE IS RISEN ! HE IS RISEN – INDEED ! The Lord has really risen ! He appeared to Peter. (Luke 24:34). He was seen by the Twelve, and the more than 500 of His followers at the time, and by James (the half-brother of Jesus), and by all the apostles, and by Paul. (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)

On this day we join our brothers and sisters in Christ – God’s children – all across this great nation of ours – and all around the world – as we observe and celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ – our Lord + Savior.

We join our brothers and sisters of this global church family on this Resurrection Sunday, but we know that every waking moment of every new day is a renewed celebration of Christ conquering the grave, and rising from the dead, and giving us life.

HE IS RISEN ! HE IS RISEN – INDEED ! And since He is risen – we have risen from where we once were.

Jesus keeps His promises – then and now. He does what He says He is going to do. He is who He says He is. He is risen. He is risen – indeed. He is alive. He sits on the throne of Heaven. He is the King of Kings. He is the Lord of Lords. He gives us life. He breathes life onto our dry bones. Breath of God – breathe on us ! He makes all things new. He gives us hope. He gives us purpose. He makes us vessels of vibrant living waters.

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture whether it’s part of a sermon, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord, and get closer to Him with each new day.

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.

Tags Bible, Blog, Christ, Christian, Church, Easter, God, Jesus, Message, Minister, Ministry, Pastor, Preacher, Reverend, Scripture, Sermon, Sunday

Bible Blogging Christian Church God Holidays Ministry Scripture

Good Friday

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date March 29, 2024

Jesus knew that His mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture He said – “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to His lips. When Jesus had tasted it He said – “It is finished !” Then He bowed His head and released His Spirit.
(John 19:28-30 NLT)

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
(John 3:16-17 NLT)

It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming !

Tags Bible, Blog, Christ, Christian, Church, God, Good Friday, Jesus, Minister, Ministry, Scripture

Blogging Driving Geography History Travel

On The Road Again

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date March 28, 2024

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. 10 days ago – I took a nearly spontaneous day trip over to Lakeland. I briefly considered Lakeland as a retirement location several years ago. It’s a rapidly growing city (and metropolitan area) along I-4 between Tampa and Orlando with all of the big box stores and chain restaurants – and all of the traffic that goes along with it. Located just shy of 60 miles from home near Sebring – some 125,000+ residents call Lakeland home, but perhaps close to 800,000 people live in its metro area.

This short day-trip served a few purposes. I wanted to experiment with a somewhat non-traditional way of driving to Lakeland – by staying on U.S. 98. (My neighborhood is located along the concurrence of U.S. 27 and U.S. 98.) About 14 miles north – U.S. 98 splits away from U.S. 27 and heads westward to U.S. 17 where the two old U.S. highways form a concurrency to Bartow. (U.S. 98 then continues northwestward by itself to Lakeland and beyond.)

It was a nice drive along U.S. 98. I actually enjoyed a late-Breakfast at a popular local diner in Fort Meade. I think I may have driven through Fort Meade on a previous road-trip many years ago. It deserves its own edition of #TravelThursday, as I’d like to explore more of this historic small town – including the Museum presented by my brothers and sisters at the Historical Society of Fort Meade.

(On that day trip of 10 days ago – I ended up taking the more traditional route of Florida State Road 60 eastward from Bartow to U.S. 27 and then southward to return home.)

That day trip served as a “dress rehearsal” of the start of my upcoming retirement road-trip. It’s a road-trip that’s nearly 40 years in the making. I’ve frequently dreamed of taking a long road-trip clockwise around the perimeter of the country at the start of my retirement. I envisioned driving some 10,000 miles from Florida to Texas to California to Washington and then along I-90 from coast to coast across the northern U.S and then down the Eastern Seaboard back home to Florida.

My actual road-trip will be a much scaled-down version of those lofty dreams. I’ll be staying south and driving to and from North Texas via two different routes while mostly avoiding the Interstate. I’ll be journaling my life and times while on the road again. It’ll provide plenty of material for #TravelThursday through the next several months. I hope that you’ll hop along for a virtual ride !

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll write about a couple of historic museums in Bartow Florida. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Bartow, Florida, Fort Meade, Lakeland, Museum

Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 371

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date March 25, 2024

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 over 45 years. Here’s this week’s chart – for the week ending Sunday March 24TH 2024 – the 371ST week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW	LW	WKS	SONG TITLE	ARTIST / SITE
1	2	16	Lead On Good Shepherd [1ST week @ # 1]	Patrick Mayberry
2	3	5	You’ve Already Won	Shane & Shane
3	4	5	He Does	Brandon Heath
4	1	13	Hallelujah Anyway	Rend Collective
5	5	16	Strong	Anne Wilson
6	6	3	All Because Of Mercy	Casting Crowns
7	–	1	Walk With Jesus	Consumed By Fire
8	–	1	God Be The Glory	We Are Messengers
9	–	1	Counting My Blessings	Seph Schlueter
10	9	6	Honestly, We Just Need Jesus	Terrian

# 1 This Week In:
2023 – “The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)” – Matt Maher
2022 – “Brighter Days” – Blessing Offor
2021 – “Say I Won’t” – MercyMe
2020 – “Almost Home” – MercyMe
2019 – “Confidence” – Sanctus Real
2018 – “No One Like Our God” – Lincoln Brewster
2017 – “I Have This Hope” – Tenth Avenue North

PATRICK MAYBERRY – His 3RD hit in 2 years is now his 1ST # 1 smash atop my chart. “Lead On Good Shepherd” ascends to the pinnacle in its 16TH week on my chart. (It debuted in December.) It follows “Holy Spirit Come” (# 2) and “Easy To Praise” (# 6).

SPOTIFY – You can hear “My Top 10 Hits” anytime simply by heading over to my CountUp playlist on Spotify. All 10 hits are there from top to bottom. You can hear them in order from # 1 to # 10, or you can shuffle them. My playlist will be updated every weekend (usually before the actual chart is presented here on Mondays). You can link to it here.

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. God used loud music on the radio to reach me in August of 2006. I’ve been testifying about Him ever since.

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.