Categories
Blogging Career Holidays Military

Honoring My Fellow Veterans

It’s the 11TH day of the 11TH month – Veterans Day here in the U.S.A.

I’ve been employed by the United States Air Force for the past 39 years – going back to when I first signed on the dotted line of the delayed enlistment program near the start of my senior year in high school. I was hesitant in joining the military way back then, but it all turned out just right, and it’s become my career – both military and civilian. I’m looking forward to retirement within the next few months.

To my fellow Veterans – this is our day. From one Veteran to all of you – I thank you for serving your nation, so that we may be free indeed.

Veterans – Get the help that you need at VA.GOV.

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

Categories
1980s Blogging Career Driving Geography Military Music Radio Travel

London To Fairford England

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. It was exactly 38 years ago tomorrow morning – the 10TH of November back in 1985 – that I arrived in a foreign country solo for the first time in my life – as a young 18-year-old.

It was a cold Sunday morning at London’s Heathrow Airport, and I had flown all night from Washington Dulles Airport. Of course I lost 5 hours overnight with the time difference.

I made my way to the British Rail station at the airport. I took that to Reading – where I got off the train. Oops. I wasn’t supposed to get off there. I got confused. I ended-up waiting at that station until the next train arrived. That didn’t take very long. I got on it, and I continued on to Swindon. At the Swindon station I hired a cab to take me to my new home and workplace – RAF Fairford – about 13 miles away.

The cab driver was nice and friendly. He welcomed me to the U.K., and he turned up the radio for us to listen to. I think we were listening to GWR. An eerie song came on that I had never heard before. It was Talking Heads with “Road To Nowhere”. How appropriate for that song to play on the radio as this young 18-year-old teenager was being driven on the left along narrow and curvy farmland roads from Swindon to RAF Fairford.

That was the start of my 2-year and 1-week adventure in the south of England as an 18, 19, and 20-year-old. I got to see a lot of England, Scotland, Wales, France, Belgium, and Netherlands. I wish I had seen more of the European continent, but I’m grateful for the areas that I did get to experience while I was over there.

I’ve attended about 150 concerts and live events in my life (100 since 2000), and the first 17 all occurred during those 2 years in England.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll return home stateside – just like I did exactly 36 years ago. Let’s keep traveling together.

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

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 351

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 November 05TH 2023 – the 351ST week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 3 3 I Thank God
[1ST week @ # 1]
Housefires Ft. JWLKRS Worship
2 4 12 Hallelujah Feeling Caleb & John
3 2 16 Praise You Anywhere Brandon Lake
4 1 13 Praise The Lord Micah Tyler
5 5 13 Jesus Does We The Kingdom
6 6 18 To Not Worship You MercyMe
7 7 10 Parking Lot Cochren & Co.
8 9 2 Any More Cain
9 8 5 Firm Foundation (He Won’t) Cody Carnes
10 10 2 Faithfully TobyMac

# 1 This Week In:
2022 – “New Creation” – Mac Powell
2021 – “Promised Land” – TobyMac
2020 – “No Hold On Me” – Matty Mullins
2019 – “Fear No More” – Building 429
2018 – “Only Jesus” – Casting Crowns
2017 – “Different” – Micah Tyler

ONLY JESUS – My # 1 smash exactly 5 years ago was “Only Jesus” from Casting Crowns – a group I’ve seen LIVE in concert 3 times in 2019, 2021, and 2023. They are one of my favorite groups. Statistically they are my # 7 artist of this current era behind Matthew West, MercyMe, Micah Tyler, Chris Tomlin, TobyMac, and Jeremy Camp.

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again with the new weekend – and 4 new entries – known as #TravelThursday, a special #VeteransDay post on Saturday, #SundayScripture, and #MusicMonday.

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 X 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 Internet Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday November 05TH 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.

This is “Fall Back Weekend” here in the U.S., as we set our clocks back one hour last night with the end of Daylight Saving Time. We are now in Standard Time – the real time zone. This is my favorite time of the year with earlier sunrises and sunsets. I wish we stayed on Standard Time all year round.

I’m back in Homestead (Florida) for a few days, and I’m back at my longtime home church for Sunday morning service and fellowship. I’ll be leading Communion this morning with the 100TH Psalm as my Scripture.

I finally finished my sermon titled “Jude & Judgment” based on Jude 1:1-11. I’ll preach it to my Homestead church family 3 weeks from today. I’ve also started writing my next sermon after that (tentatively titled “Jude & Jive”) based on Jude 1:12-25. I’ll preach it the following Sunday.

This meme appeared on a recent Facebook feed, and it’s one of my favorite verses of Scripture. I actually incorporated 2 Timothy 4:2-3 – the NIV translation – within my “Jude & Judgment” sermon, as it fit perfectly. This meme represents the ESV translation:

My testimony is featured here each week 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.

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