Author: Chris M. Day

I'm almost 59 years old. I've been online for 33 years - starting with my own dial-up bulletin board system in 1993 - and continuing with AOL, my own dot.com web site, Myspace, WordPress, Twitter / X, Flickr, and Facebook.

Lanham Maryland

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date October 7, 2021

#TravelThursday continues, and in this edition we visit the unincorporated Washington D.C. suburb of Lanham Maryland – my childhood home from 1975 to 1980. It was my favorite childhood home. The biggest mistake that was made by my Dad back then was when we moved away to Northern Virginia in November 1980. It changed my life forever. I lost all of my friends. My run with Scouting ended. My education suffered in that I entered a much tougher school system than the one I grew up with. I probably would not have joined the military 4 years later if we had stayed put. I probably would have gone to college (likely my Dad’s alma mater – the University Of Maryland). I may have embarked in a career in Meteorology or Radio Broadcasting. But we moved away in 1980, and my life took a different turn.

Via Redfin I recently viewed 35 photos of the house that me and my family lived in 41 to 46 years ago. (I love modern technology.) It was quite eerie yet fascinating to look inside and outside of that house – all modernized all of these years later. It looked gorgeous. It looked like it went through a massive HGTV makeover. When I saw my old bedroom I reminisced about all of the memories in that room (good and bad) as a 7 to 13-year-old. (I’m 54 now.) The backyard still has the original railroad ties landscaping done on it by my Dad back then. We bought the home brand new just after construction was done on it early-on in 1975. I think we paid about $59,000 for it. (It sold for $450,000 a year ago. Its current Redfin estimate is $534,153.)

Our house was located in a neighborhood right behind our previous apartment complex neighborhood of 1969 to 1972 (about a half-mile away). My Grandmom and Granddad lived exactly a mile away. My Aunt, Uncle, and many Cousins lived a mile-and-a-half away. My elementary school (Kindergarten and 3RD through 6TH grades) was imbedded within my neighborhood. I could literally walk up my street, cut-through a yard, climb the fence, and be on school grounds within a few minutes.

6 summers ago me and my family returned to Lanham Maryland as part of a vacation to drive-through our old neighborhoods. Here’s our family Catholic church from the early-to-mid-1970s. It’s where I attended 1ST and 2ND grades from 1973 to 1975. It’s where I observed my First Communion on February 15TH 1975.

Join me next #TravelThursday as we visit another location on the face of this earth.

They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. You can go to bed without fear. You will lie down and sleep soundly. You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. (Proverbs 3:23-26 NLT)

Tags Lanham, Maryland, Travel

Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 242

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 40+ years. Here’s this week’s chart:

COUNTUP MINISTRIES	FOR THE WEEK ENDING SUNDAY OCTOBER 03RD 2021	WEEK 242

TW	LW	WKS	SONG TITLE	ARTIST / SITE
1	3	12	What If [1ST week @ # 1]	Matthew West
2	2	8	Thank You Lord	Chris Tomlin Ft. Thomas Rhett & Florida Georgia Line
3	–	1	Promised Land	TobyMac
4	7	6	Promises	Maverick City Music
5	1	12	Into The Wild	Josh Baldwin
6	5	10	House Of The Lord	Phil Wickham
7	4	22	Yes He Can	Cain
8	6	26	Gospel Song	Rhett Walker
9	10	2	Relate	for King & Country
10	–	1	Stand In Faith	Danny Gokey

# 1 This Week In:
2020 – “God So Loved” – We The Kingdom
2019 – “Nobody (But Jesus)” – Casting Crowns Ft. Matthew West
2018 – “Only Jesus” – Casting Crowns
2017 – “Broken Things” – Matthew West

NEW # 1 – “What If” my # 1 artist over the past 242 weeks of chart action scored my new # 1 smash this week ? That would be Matthew West, and his 6TH hit is now his 4TH # 1 smash. His only 2 hits to not reach # 1 both peaked at # 2 – “All In”, and “Truth Be Told”. (The latter spent 5 weeks in a row at # 2 to kickoff 2021.)

IN @ # 3 – TobyMac scores my highest new entry in 3½ years, as his 9TH hit since 2017 and 12TH hit since 2007 enters straight-in at # 3. It’s an instant out-of-the-box smash, as they used to say in the radio biz. The first few times I heard it on the radio I had no idea it was TobyMac. When I discovered that it was him I realized that he has a great singing voice. I know that’s an odd comment after being a fan of him for nearly all of my salvation, but in many of his songs they are highly produced, and his voice has to keep up with the instruments and the machines. In “Promised Land” his strong voice carries the way from start to finish. I think this is one of my favorite songs from Toby ever.

COLLAPSE @ # 5 – Josh Baldwin’s “Into The Wild” is a great case study as to what happens when my favorite song – the # 1 smash – completely loses all support at radio. It never quite got the “2:20 Treatment” – airplay every 2 hours and 20 minutes around the clock – but it did receive substantial airplay for about 10 weeks. And then it inexplicably completely stopped this past week. It had another week or two left in its # 1 reign, but with no radio support it can’t sustain its presence atop my chart.

HELLO WGTS – I’ve recently supplemented my K-LOVE radio listening with occasional listening of WGTS out of my original hometown of the Washington D.C. area. It’s been broadcasting on 91.9 FM for almost 65 years with various Christian formats. Nowadays it’s a hot adult contemporary station that plays a very similar playlist to K-LOVE. It sounds good, and it’s cool to listen to a radio station from back in my childhood home. #AlexaPlayWGTS

This blog is # 37 worldwide on the Top 80 Christian Music Blogs and Websites in 2021 chart. Thank You for including us Feedspot !

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again this upcoming weekend – with 4 new entries on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday. I don’t blog on Saturdays. That’s my day of rest.

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 Twitter and Flickr.

Be blessed my friends ! May the 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.

Tags Blog, Chart, Christ, Christian, God, Jesus, KLOVE, Music, Radio, WGTS

Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date October 3, 2021

I am of no denomination. My church is non-denominational. Who am I ?

I am a believer, a follower, a truster, a lover, a praiser, a worshiper, and a celebrator – of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am born again for the past 15 years.

Jesus replied – “I assure you. No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say – ‘You must be born again.’
(John 3:5-7 NLT)

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, God, Jesus, Minister, Ministry, Scripture, Sermon, Sunday

2000s Blogging Christian God Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 2006

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date October 1, 2021

Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 25, 30, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 1ST Friday of the month, so I go back 15 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday October 01ST 2006:

“Desensitized” – Jonah33
“Love Addict” – Family Force 5
“Activate” – Stellar Kart
“Gravity” – The Fold
“High Of 75” – Relient K

… And on this 1ST Sunday of October of 2006 (representing the final week of September) the transformation of my weekly hit music chart was complete. It had completely flipped from Secular Rhythmic Contemporary to Christian Rock, Pop, and Hip Hop. Falling out of my Top 5 on this week exactly 15 years ago were hits from Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Christina Aguilera, Cherish, Sean Paul (of YoungBloodZ), and Gnarls Barkley.

My #SalvationEra was in full effect. My first-ever all-Christian Top 5 represented some of the hottest artists on Christian radio during the mid-2000s.

One of my favorite bands back in the beginning was the energetic pop-punk band Stellar Kart out of Phoenix Arizona. Adam Agee was the frontman of the band, and they were together for about 13 years from 2001 to 2014 – peaking in 2006 with their hot album “We Can’t Stand Sitting Down”. That album spawned 3 hit singles on the radio and on my chart – “Activate” (# 2 for 2 weeks), “Procrastinating” (# 1 for 6 weeks), and “Finding Out” (# 1 for 2 weeks). They were the first 3 of 6 #SK hits on my chart during that era.

Stellar Kart

“Activate” is about not sitting in the shade, but having our God getting us up and moving. He’s our God with a purpose for our life. He’s the reason why we’re alive. There’s a world out there in need. It’s time to make a move. You’ll never start a revolution in your sleep. We must show love to everyone. We must – “Activate”.

Those were wise words for me as a young baby Christian exactly 15 years ago.

Next Friday on RETRO I’ll go back 25 years ago to October 1996.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going RETRO with me !

Tags 2006, Music, Radio, Salvation