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Church, Beef, & Eternity

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week’s post covered my holiday weekend time-period from Thanksgiving Eve – through Thanksgiving Day, and Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday.

We’re up to Museum Store Sunday now; although, this post has nothing to do with any museum stores. (Well since I mentioned it – back home – my Sebring Historical Society observed Museum Store Sunday by having our museum open for 6 hours to try to get rid of [sell] as much of our gift shop merchandise as possible to make room for new inventory.)

OK – let’s get back on track here. And let’s go to church – as a family. That’s what we did for the first time ever at their new non-denominational church in nearby Sachse Texas. (I wrote more about that experience on #SundayScripture a couple of weeks ago.)

After church me and my brother went to a busy Best Buy, and then we went to see our 2ND movie in 3 days. It seems as if every trip – either me visiting in Texas or my brother visiting in Florida – we end up seeing a movie that neither one of us was talking about in the hours or days leading up to it. Our “under the radar” movie for this trip was “Eternity”. I knew about it, but I never mentioned it because I didn’t think that he’d want to see it. And my brother knew about it, and he didn’t think that I’d want to see it. We decided about 90 minutes before the next showing at a nearby movie theatre to see it. We both enjoyed the premise of the movie. It’s one of my favorite movies of the year (out of 20+ so far), and my brother wants to see it again with his wife once it’s streamable. It was a fun movie with (surprisingly) lots of sight gags.

Fun Fact: “Eternity” and “Rental Family” (seen 2 days earlier) were the # 6 and # 7 movies of the 5-day Thanksgiving Weekend. Both played in far fewer theatres than the Top 5 movies above it.

Where’s The Beef ?: I almost forgot about it. Before the movie we ate lunch at a popular place called Portillo’s. It’s a Chicago-based fast-casual restaurant with almost 100 locations nationwide (and rapidly expanding). They specialize in Chicago beef. And I had some for lunch. I had the Beef & Cheddar Croissant. It’s a variation of the classic Italian beef sandwich that uses a croissant instead of French bread. It features thin-sliced, slow-roasted, rich, and seasoned Italian beef and melted cheddar cheese. It was pretty good. Very juicy !

And finally – I ended my favorite month of the year – November – with a great Sunday Night Football game on NBC – the Denver Broncos (a team I like) at my original hometown Washington Commanders. It was surprisingly an exciting and close back-and-forth game that extended well into overtime. My Commanders had a chance to win it by a point if they had converted on a 2-point conversion following a touchdown, but the conversion was blocked, the game ended – Broncos 27 Commanders 26 – and November ended.

Next #TravelThursday is in 2 weeks on New Year’s Day, and I’ll cover the experiences and events of the first few days of the new month of December in the Dallas Texas area. Let’s keep traveling together.

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

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Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 461

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 December 14TH 2025 – the 461ST week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 2 9 How Good It Is
[1ST week @ # 1]
Chris Tomlin
2 3 10 Dusty Bibles Josiah Queen
3 1 20 Can’t Steal My Joy Josiah Queen X Brandon Lake
4 4 7 Lift Me Up Blessing Offor
5 5 26 What An Awesome God Phil Wickham
6 7 6 World On Fire for King + Country Ft. Taylor Hill
7 8 3 I Need You Jet Trouble
8 10 9 God Story Anne Wilson
9 1 No Survivors Jeremy Camp
10 1 God Did ! Sons Of Sunday

# 1 This Week In:
2024 – “Do It Again” – Steven Curtis Chapman
2023 – “I Thank God” – Housefires Ft. JWLKRS Worship
2022 – “Who I Am” – Ben Fuller
2021 – “On Our Way” – MercyMe Ft. Sam Wesley
2020 – “Every Step Of The Way” – Cade Thompson
2019 – “Dead Man Walking” – Jeremy Camp
2018 – “Well Done” – The Afters
2017 – “Control (Somehow You Want Me)” – Tenth Avenue North

CHRIS TOMLIN – 3 weeks ago I hinted that his 11TH hit on my chart was on the verge of becoming his 4TH # 1 smash, and so it is. “How Good It Is” ascends to the pinnacle. It’s the first single off his 18TH studio album – “The King Is Still The King”. It’s a ready-made Sunday Morning Praise + Worship song for church bands – with lyrics taken straight from Psalms 92, 98, 100, and 113.

ONE-HIT WONDERBuilding 429 – named after Ephesians 4:29 – scored a HUGE # 1 smash in October and November 2019 with “Fear No More”. In addition to its 6 consecutive weeks at # 1 – it also spent 7 consecutive weeks at # 2. To this day it is still one of my Top 40 songs of the past 461 weeks (based on chart performance). It was actually the band’s last big hit after 15 years of hits on the radio. Nowadays lead singer Jason Roy is the only remaining member. He continues touring with new musicians supporting him.

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

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Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday December 14TH 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.

This is the 3RD Sunday of Advent of 2025. This is Gaudete (pronounced GOW-day-tay) Sunday. This is the day when we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath. Gaudete means “rejoice”. This day reminds us of the joy that is to come. We recall the hope we have because of the coming of our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ – our King of Kings.

As the Bible says in Paul’s Letter to the Philippian church:

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice ! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember – the Lord is coming soon. (4:4-5)

(And those 2 verses come right before these 2 memory verses. You know them.)

Don’t worry about anything. Instead – pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace – which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (4:6-7)

So Happy Gaudete Sunday. It’s Rejoice Sunday ! Rejoice today ! Rejoice every day ! Everyone say “rejoice” ! You are not guaranteed the next day, so if you wake up tomorrow – REJOICE !

This is the day that our LORD has made. Let us – do what ? – rejoice. Let us be glad in it.

7 weeks ago I began transcribing my sermon titled “Apostle & Elder”. I preached it to my second church family on Sunday October 18TH 2020.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7

Here’s Part 8:

Most bible-believing churches today are open churches. They allow anyone to walk-in and be a part of the celebration within. You can walk-in off the streets, have a seat anywhere, and sing along to the songs, and listen to the sermon. No questions asked. Free admission.

We’re an open church. Anyone and everyone is invited here. And we should show hospitality to anyone and everyone who enters through those front doors – whether we invited them, or we don’t yet know them. We should show them that they are indeed welcome here – to praise – to worship – to pray – to listen – to take-in God’s Word.

That new person that walks in here – we could be saving their life. We could be resurrecting their fantastic journey. That’s what happened to me in March of 2015 when I first walked through those front doors. I only knew Marge. I didn’t know anyone else here. I was looking for another church body in Homestead to celebrate Christ with – to rejuvenate my walk with Christ. I found it.

During that valley – on my journey – in 2015 – when I was burnt out – when I decided that I could do no more, or go no further in my leadership roles – I could’ve left my previous church body, and kept on walking – right back into the world – right back to where I was some 9 years earlier.

I could’ve done that, but that really wasn’t an option for me. The Spirit within me spoke to me. God’s Truth spoke to me. John’s first letter to the church spoke to me:

But you belong to God – my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people – because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God – they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception. (1 John 4:4-6)

[TO BE CONTINUED – NEXT WEEK]

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

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Blogging Commerce Driving Food Football Geography Holidays Home Movies Music Radio Shopping Sports Television Travel

Texas Bound

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week’s post ended with me waiting at my gate at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (#SRQ) and listening to the music that they play (rather loudly) from The Blend (SiriusXM) all throughout the terminal.

My Thanksgiving Eve flight to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (#DFW) boarded a little bit late, and it took off into the air a few minutes late as well. It also arrived at #DFW a few minutes late. It flew a nearly straight-line flight across the northeastern Gulf and over Louisiana and Texas. The Airbus 321EOW was not quire full – with a few middle seats unoccupied (including the one next to mine). There was also plenty of room in the overhead bins. I had an aisle seat 5 rows from the back of the aircraft. The flight was mostly peaceful and quiet with a few mild bumps along the way at cruising altitude (as high as 38,000 feet).

Fun Fact: An Airbus 321EOW is one that can fly up to 400 miles from shore, as it meets specific FAA requirements to do so (such as sufficient life rafts). “EOW” = “Extended Over Water”.

I met my brother at the Baggage Carousel. We picked-up my baggage, and we left for Wylie Texas (about 40 miles away) – with a stop at Kroger close to his home.

On Thanksgiving Day we stayed in all day long, and we watched football from mid-morning – through the afternoon – and into the evening. Oh – and we ate a lot of food too – from early-morning – through the afternoon – and into the evening.

A Thanksgiving Morning tradition actually ended this year. We did not open all of the presents underneath the Christmas tree as we’ve done every year in the past since my nieces have been alive (going back to 2010). There were no presents underneath the Christmas tree. But there would be soon, and we’d open them in a couple of days.

Another Thanksgiving tradition also ended. I didn’t spend much of the day packing and preparing for my return flight or drive back to Florida, as I had just arrived. No packing necessary until the following Friday.

And yet another tradition ended on #BlackFriday. I did not fly back (or begin my drive back) home to Florida. Me and my brother began our week-long quest to eat at different restaurants, shop at many stores, see several movies, and visit various coffeehouses.

On #BlackFriday we saw the movie “Rental Family” (starring Brendan Fraser). And then we ate lunch at “Flying Fish” – a regional fast-casual seafood restaurant chain. And then we went to a busy Barnes & Noble. And then we went to Target including a pitstop at the Starbucks inside Target. So that covers the restaurant, store(s), movie, and coffeehouse for the day after Thanksgiving.

On #SmallBusinessSaturday we supported a small business early in the morning – a family-run breakfast and lunch place in Sachse Texas – Woodbridge Cafe. They opened in January 2018. It was our first visit. It won’t be our last. I enjoyed cinnamon swirl French Toast, two eggs over hard, two sausage patties, and coffee.

Next #TravelThursday – I attend a non-denominational church service with my brother, sister-in-law, and two nieces for the first time ever. Let’s keep traveling together.

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