Month: January 2025

Categories
Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday January 12TH 2025, 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.

I’m waking-up in Sebring Florida this morning, but I’ll be 180 miles away in Homestead Florida by 10 AM. I’ll be at my former home church of 9 years (2015-2024). I’ll be filling-in for the Pastor this morning. I’ll be leading Praise & Worship with 3 music videos – “The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)” from Matt Maher, “Nobody (But Jesus)” from Casting Crowns Ft. Matthew West, and “Praise The Lord” from Micah Tyler. I’ve used all 3 of these songs before, and they are favorites with the church body. My sermon this morning is titled “Solomon & Wisdom”, and it’s all about the early part of King Solomon’s 40-year reign on the united Kingdom of Israel with his God-given wisdom. I’m looking forward to preaching it to my brothers and sisters.

I got the call to preach this past Tuesday afternoon, and naturally I accepted it. I had a half-written sermon that I actually started writing over 5 months ago. It kind of stalled out after a few months, and I started writing another sermon (which is less than a quarter-written). Hurricanes and holidays disrupted my sermon-writing process. And then Men’s Fellowship occurred this past Tuesday night at my home church here in Sebring, and I was blessed with the Scripture that our Pastor led with (Proverbs 3:5-7) and the group discussion that complemented it. I went home immediately after that and began writing the second-half of my sermon on King Solomon. I finished it on Thursday morning.

Our God is great, and I need His wisdom in everything I do and everywhere I go. Without God – there is no wisdom. God created wisdom. God is wisdom.

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, 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.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Animals Blogging Bugs Driving Geography Holidays Home Nature Travel

Archbold Biological Station

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. There’s a large tract of land directly to the north of my neighborhood that’s unspoiled raw Florida scrub. I have a great view of it out my second-floor side and front windows. I bet it looks exactly the same now as it did 25 – even 50 years ago – probably even more than that. It’s what my neighborhood probably looked like before 1985 – when the land was cleared, and construction began. I love living on the other side of our perimeter fence from that scrub. I often stare at it for minutes – watching the nature and the wildlife that prospers there. It’s like living right next door to a nature preserve. I hope it stays like that for the rest of my life.

A couple of Wednesdays ago on New Year’s Day Morning I had the opportunity to finally visit the Archbold Biological Station 30 miles away down in the southern end of my home county – Highlands. It’s about a mile-and-a-half west of U.S. 27, so I’ve driven by it dozens of times. It was my first time there. For several years I thought that it was closed to the general public, but then I realized that they actually have a small Learning Center there along with public nature trails nearby.

They hosted a “First Day Hike” along some of the private (unmarked) nature trails (for research use only). I figured I’d be 1 of 5 visitors to participate early on the first morning of 2025, but surprisingly there were at least 25 of us (several families with children) along for the hike through the protected Florida scrub. Our tour guide pointed out various insects, birds, animal tracks, and vegetation along the sandy trails. We walked through prescribed burn areas, as well as non-burn areas.

Our part of South-Central Florida is the oldest land south of the Florida Panhandle. A long time ago – back when sea levels were as much as 150 feet higher than they are now – only this area – the narrow high spine of Florida – was above water – as a series of islands – resembling today’s Florida Keys. Everything to the south, east, and west was the sea. The sand that dominates our landscape – visible from space – is ancient sand leftover from that era. Some of our vegetation can be found nowhere else in Florida. I guess I don’t need to explain how Highlands County got its name.

It was a fun “First Day Hike” through the scrub. We walked about a mile-and-a-half total during the informative 2-hour tour. It was a great way to start the new year in an educational and physical way.

Next #TravelThursday – It’s a change-of-pace. I’ll do a little bit of reminiscing. I’ll write about me and my family getting ready to make a move 50 years ago. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 412

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 January 05TH 2025 – the 412TH week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 21 Do It Again
[6TH week @ # 1]		 Steven Curtis Chapman
2 2 14 Love’s Got A Way Andrew Ripp
3 3 17 That’s Who I Praise Brandon Lake
4 4 6 In The Name Of Jesus JWLKRS Worship Ft. Maverick City Music
5 6 3 Running Back To You Seph Schlueter
6 5 7 Praise God For That Jordan Feliz
7 – 1 Goodbye Yesterday Elevation Rhythm
8 – 1 The Jesus Way Phil Wickham
9 9 4 Still Waters (Psalm 23) Leanna Crawford
10 10 6 The Truth Megan Woods

# 1 This Week In:
2024 – “Hallelujah Feeling” – Caleb & John
2023 – “Who I Am” – Ben Fuller
2022 – “Weary Traveler” – Jordan St. Cyr
2021 – “Every Step Of The Way” – Cade Thompson
2020 – “Holy Water” – We The Kingdom
2019 – “Well Done” – The Afters
2018 – “Lions” – Skillet

PHIL WICKHAM – He’s back with his 10TH hit since 2018, as “The Jesus Way” enters at # 8. Here are his 9 previous hits along with their peak positions on my chart:
– “Living Hope” – # 8 in 2018
– “Till I Found You” – # 2 in 2019
– “Great Things” – # 6 in 2020
– “Battle Belongs” – # 7 in 2021
– “House Of The Lord” – # 2 in 2021
– “Hymn Of Heaven” – # 10 in 2022
– “Then Christ Came” – # 4 in 2022 (featured artist with MercyMe)
– “This Is Our God” – # 1 in 2023
– “I Believe” – # 1 in 2024

SPOTIFY – You can hear “My Top 10 Hits” anytime by accessing 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 in South Florida 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.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday January 05TH 2025, 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 my first #SundayScripture of 2025. Thank You for checking-in today. Thank You for supporting my ministry.

The old – 2024 – has passed on. It’s behind us. We can’t do anything about it. What’s said is said. What’s done is done. But behold – the new creation – 2025 – has come. The Lord said, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold – I am doing a new thing.” Our God said, “I am making all things new.”

2024 was a great and life-changing year for me. I retired after a nearly 39-year military and civilian career with the USAF. I immersed myself into the new full-time retirement part of my life. I became mentally, physically, and socially active at home, museum, and church – engaging in new duties, responsibilities, and relationships at each. YES – 2024 was the greatest year of my life, but I know that God will lead me to an even greater 2025, as I continue to move closer to Him – led by his guidance, direction, and wisdom. I pray that 2025 is a greater year for you as well. God has great plans for you and I !

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, 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.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp