Month: March 2025

Categories
Blogging Driving Food Geography History Home Travel

Arcadia Florida

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. I finally made it to Arcadia Florida last Thursday. I left home – up in the Poconos of Florida – (more on that in a future edition) – and I arrived 43 miles and less than hour later in the historic district known formally as “Arcadia Main Street“.

I parked my car in one of their many public parking lots, and I walked a block down Hickory Street (Florida State Road 70 westbound) through lots of road construction over to residential Monroe Avenue – straight to the John Morgan Ingraham House Museum of the DeSoto County Historical Society.

I greeted the docent on duty – Kathy Bryce – and then she greeted me. She gave me a nice guided tour of the historic “Florida Cracker” house from the late-19TH Century. John Morgan Ingraham – a Florida Congressman – lived in the house from 1919 to 1980. (He lived 97 years.) The house is included on a 3,400-acre parcel of land that is on the National Register Of Historic Places.

The house includes original equipment, furniture, and artifacts. Nearly everything is identified and labeled uniformly. I took-in many mental notes during my walk-through. I also met and enjoyed a brief conversation with one of their Directors – Carol Mahler. She knew a few of our leaders at the Sebring Historical Society. I left their Museum with lots of great ideas for our own similar historic house Museum.

They are open 6 or 7 days a month on Thursdays and the 2ND & 4TH Saturdays of the month from 9 AM to 1 PM. They close for 3 months each Summer. I hope to visit the Museum again before they close for the Summer to walk around on my own and talk more with Kathy and Carol. They are doing a lot of good things over there with lots of events. I’m looking forward to hearing more about them. They are preparing for their upcoming annual celebration known as “Pioneer Day”.

After my visit to the Museum I walked over to The Yellow Deli to enjoy an early Lunch. Their official web site lists 33 locations worldwide in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Their Arcadia location is one of the highest-rated online in the city. Several reviewers stated that they enjoyed “the best Reuben ever”. Since the Reuben is one of my favorite sandwiches I decided to give it a try. It was good, but not the greatest ever. I prefer my Reuben to be between well-toasted rye bread. The bread was not toasted at all, but surprisingly it wasn’t too soggy. I’d actually order it again. It came with potato chips and a nice-sized dill pickle.

Time to walk off my Lunch, but I think I’ll continue my Arcadia Main Street adventure – next – #TravelThursday. 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 421

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 almost 50 years. Here’s this week’s chart – for the week ending Sunday March 09TH 2025 – the 421ST week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 10 Goodbye Yesterday
[2ND week @ # 1]		 Elevation Rhythm
2 4 8 Never Get Used To This Forrest Frank Ft. JVKE
3 2 15 In The Name Of Jesus JWLKRS Worship Ft. Maverick City Music
4 3 23 Love’s Got A Way Andrew Ripp
5 8 8 Let It Begin Big Daddy Weave
6 7 6 Money Can’t Buy Cochren & Co.
7 6 12 Running Back To You Seph Schlueter
8 – 1 My Promised Land Josiah Queen
9 9 2 Again Jeremy Camp
10 10 2 A Lil Church (Nobody’s Too Lost) TobyMac

# 1 This Week In:
2024 â€“ “Hallelujah Anyway” – Rend Collective
2023 â€“ “The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)” – Matt Maher
2022 â€“ “Jesus Is Coming Back” – Jordan Feliz Ft. Mandisa & Jonathan Traylor
2021 â€“ “Say I Won’t” – MercyMe
2020 â€“ “Almost Home” – MercyMe
2019 – “Red Letters” – Crowder
2018 – “No One Like Our God” – Lincoln Brewster
2017 – “I Have This Hope” – Tenth Avenue North

JOSIAH QUEEN – Our 22-year-old Tampa Bay area local guy is back with his follow-up to his # 4 debut hit “The Prodigal”. This time he sings to his Lord + Savior Jesus Christ about being his Promised Land:

♫ And I said hold on wait a minute
I don’t want what You ain’t in
And I don’t wanna go unless I’m going there with You
It’s You there rain or shining
You’re the sun on my horizon
You are my everything
My Promised Land is You ♫

SPOTIFY â€“ 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 March 09TH 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.

Exactly 10 years ago today – actually on Sunday March 08TH 2015 – I made my first appearance at Living Waters Full Gospel Church in Homestead Florida. I met everyone there for the very first time – aside from a longtime friend and former coworker who attended the small church. It was a much different atmosphere and change-of-pace than my existing church at the time, and I liked it a lot. I went back to my longtime (8-year) church a mile down the road the next Sunday to pretty much say good-bye to everyone who I cared about. The Sunday after that – I was back at Living Waters, and it became my new home church. I began leading Communion every month starting in August 2016, and I began preaching 2 months later. I didn’t go to Living Waters to lead Communion or preach sermons. The Pastor asked me to do so. He started asking later in 2015, but I turned him down. He asked me again the following year, and I accepted and followed the call to do so.

I thought I would be at my first church forever, but God had other plans for me. I knew I would not be at my second church forever, as I was already thinking ahead to retirement and moving away. I ended up moving away a year before I retired – working mostly from my new home during that final year. But I was at my second church longer than my first church.

Today I look back at 10 Glorious years at Living Waters. It started a rejuvenation process in my fantastic journey after a couple of years of burning out and stalling. I’ll continue to visit whenever I’m in town, and preach whenever I’m invited to do so.

I also look ahead to my fourth church – Highlands Community Church in Sebring Florida. I’ve been part of my new church family for 18 months now, and I believe that I’ll be with this church family forever. But God has the final say:

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster – to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)

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
Blogging Driving Food Geography Home Travel

My Neighborhood Is Like A Cruise Ship

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. I did not visit Arcadia Florida last Thursday as I hinted that I may at the end of last week’s edition. I may visit today.

Last Thursday I stayed home and enjoyed a “day off”. Thursday is usually the only day of the week when I don’t have regularly-scheduled events – whether it’s neighborhood, museum, or church – morning, afternoon, or evening. So Thursdays are generally reserved as days of productivity at home (unless I embark on a local road-trip).

A friend of mine recently asked when I’m going on my next cruise (which would be my 25TH since 1991). I have no plans for such a cruise. I have no desires to go on a cruise. I’m settling-in to my retirement lifestyle, and I love what each new day brings. I’m physically and socially active like never before. (Not even close to my longtime Homestead lifestyle).

Besides – my neighborhood is as close to a cruise ship as I can get. We have 248 condos and villas surrounding a big mostly manmade half-mile-long lake in the middle. Each condo and villa has a spectacular elevated view of the lake. The condos and villas are like the cabins and suites on a cruise ship, and we’ve all got views of the sea. My lanai is like a very nice large balcony. I walk around the sidewalk that runs 1.1 miles alongside the lake, and it’s like walking alongside the perimeter of a cruise ship on a low deck with the cool breeze bouncing off the water and onto my face. Our clubhouse is like the small entertainment venue onboard where a lot of the fun events occur – including of course BINGO !

And our wide variety of daily, weekly, and monthly fun events that do occur – including the occasional meals and parties – resemble those of a cruise. I like our Cruise Director. I’m part of her “Fun Squad”.

I can’t imagine spending a couple thousand dollars on a 7 or 8-day Caribbean cruise when I’ve got my forever home that resembles the nicest balcony cabin I’ve ever occupied.

So if I embark on that shore excursion today to Arcadia Florida – then I’ll write about it – next #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.

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