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.

Categories
Animals Blogging Driving Nature Travel

My Spring Break 2021 Road-Trip

One week ago (last Thursday) I returned home from my Spring Break 2021 Road-Trip. It was a fun 5-day adventure traversing 624 miles through the 10 South and Central Florida counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, Okeechobee, Highlands, Hardee, Glades, Hendry, and Collier. I also barely touched Monroe County, and I saw its many islands.

Starting here in Miami-Dade County (my home of 33 years) I ventured from my church building in Homestead (right after Sunday service) up to NW Broward County. That’s where I attended the TobyMac concert at the BB&T Center. I wrote all about it this past Monday.

On Monday morning (Presidents’ Day) I was back on-the-road from Broward to Palm Beach to Martin, and into Okeechobee County. I made a pitstop for a few hours at the northern rim of Lake Okeechobee – just south of the city of Okeechobee. It was my 2ND visit to the area. I’d previously spent a few days leading-up to Christmas Day of 2019 there. I walked a portion of the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (high atop the dike / levee). I actually walked exactly 2.00 miles on that dike – a mile up to it and then eastward along it, and then a mile back to where I started. After that I took in views of the beautiful lake from the pier.

I drove northward from the lake about 15 miles to Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (a first-time visit). This place exceeded my expectations, and I really appreciate the work that they do to save and care for the animals in the local area.

After my fun few stops in the Okeechobee area it was on to Highlands County (probably my future hometown county once I retire). I arrived in Lake Placid on Monday afternoon, and this would be my home for the next 3 nights.

I enjoyed Dinner at a nice restaurant in town with a friend who used to live in Homestead and was a close sister in my first church family. She and her husband moved away and settled in Lake Placid. It was good to see her again. We may be neighbors in the future.

On Tuesday morning I headed northward and then westward from Lake Placid into Hardee County. I’ll share my Tuesday and Wednesday of my road-trip next Thursday here on my blog.

Miles Driven on Sunday & Monday = 229

All rights reserved (c) 2021 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 210

Every Monday I post my all-new Top 10 Christian hit music chart based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay. It’s the continuation of a weekly hobby that goes back 40+ years. Here it is – this week’s chart:

COUNTUP MINISTRIES WEEK ENDING SUNDAY FEBRUARY 21ST 2021
TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 13 Every Step Of The Way
[12TH week @ # 1]		 Cade Thompson
2 2 15 Out Of My Hands Jeremy Camp
3 4 6 Say I Won’t MercyMe
4 5 5 Less Like Me Zach Williams
5 3 20 Truth Be Told Matthew West
6 – 1 Good God Almighty Crowder
7 10 3 Battle Belongs Phil Wickham
8 9 4 Next To Me Jordan Feliz
9 8 5 Fires Jordan St. Cyr
10 6 9 Another In The Fire Hillsong United

# 1 This Week In:
2020 – “Almost Home” – MercyMe
2019 – “Maybe It’s OK” – We Are Messengers
2018 – “Gracefully Broken” – Matt Redman Ft. Tasha C. Leonard
2017 – “Love Broke Thru” – Toby Mac

Last Sunday night (February 14TH 2021) I attended TobyMac’s “Hits Deep Tour 2021” at the BB&T Center here in South Florida (Sunrise). It was my first LIVE concert in over 11 months (since just before COVID shut-down America), and it was my first LIVE concert at the BB&T Center in over 15 months. It was also my 3RD TobyMac concert in mid-February over the past 4 years.

The wearing of face masks was mandatory and strictly enforced by staff. The arena had socially-distanced seating. Individuals and groups were more than 6 feet apart from others both in the standard (elevated) seating as well as the floor seating. Arena seating (usable for the concert) was probably no more than about 20% to 25% full. It was one of the best concert experiences I can ever remember for the simple reason that I had plenty of room to stand-up and dance all around my seat on the floor, and I did just that. Everyone had their own personal dancefloor !

I was seated along the right-edge of the floor in the center of the arena. There were two stages – the main stage up-front – and the center stage to the left of me (by about 20 feet or so).

Unspoken kicked-off the show from the main stage, and then Terrian performed from the center stage. We Are Messengers were up next from the main stage, and then Cochren & Co. took over from the center stage. Tauren Wells performed from the main stage. The first 5 artists split (almost evenly) 1 hour and 20 minutes (about 15 minutes apiece). They were all great. We Are Messengers are my personal favorite of the 5, so naturally I was singing and dancing along through all of their hits. I liked when Chad Mattson (lead singer of Unspoken) guest-performed “Echo” (the Elevation Worship song) with Tauren Wells.

After a 35-minute sermon and fundraising push (Food For The Hungry) TobyMac took center stage for “The Elements”. He performed non-stop hits for the next 1 hour and 35 minutes – performing about half of his set from the main stage – and half from the center stage. The guy has so much energy for his age. (He’s 56.) He’s also from one of my childhood hometowns of Fairfax County Virginia.

Terrian was with Toby for many of his hits. (She’s a back-up vocalist with Toby’s Diverse City band.) Michael Cochren assisted Toby with one of his hits.

What a great night to praise and worship my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ with my instant church family for the night.

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.

All rights reserved (c) 2021 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

First they took Him to Annas – the father-in-law of Caiaphas – the high priest at that time. Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders – “It’s better that one man should die for the people.”

Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter – “You’re not one of that man’s disciples – are you ?”

“No” – he said – “I am not.”

Because it was cold – the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it – warming themselves, and Peter stood with them – warming himself.

In Part 4 of my continuing sermon leading-up to Resurrection Sunday I continue from the Gospel of John – Chapter 18. In Verses 13 to 18 John writes about “another of the disciples” and “that other disciple” and “the disciple who knew the high priest”. The fact that John didn’t identify him by name probably means that it was John himself – “the disciple Jesus loved”.

This was the pivotal moment in which Peter denied Jesus for the first time. Jesus stood-up to His questioners and denied nothing. Peter was not bold enough to do so. Jesus was right when he told Simon Peter earlier that “before the rooster crows tomorrow morning – you will deny three times that you even know Me.”

Peter had good intentions, but he was slowly descending into temptation and sin. He followed Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. Then he stood with the enemy by the fire to get warm.

Be bold. Be blessed. Listen for God’s voice to give you guidance and direction. Follow His wisdom. He will show you The Way.

I’ll continue this journey through John Chapter 18 – next Sunday Scripture.

Missed the first 3 parts of this sermon ? Check them out – PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3

All rights reserved (c) 2021 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
1990s Blogging Career Military Music Radio Travel

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1991

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 3RD Friday of the month, so I go back 30 years ago. That would be for the week ending Sunday February 17TH 1991, but I didn’t do a chart that week – or for any week in 1991 yet. I finally found some downtime in the desert, and my very first chart of the year was for the week ending Sunday February 24TH 1991. I compiled it and wrote it down on loose-leaf paper from my tent in the middle of “Tent City” at Al Kharj Air Base Saudi Arabia. I actually did a Top 40 that week (and every week thereafter). Here’s my Top 5:

  1. “High Enough” – Damn Yankees
  2. “Without You” – Mötley Crüe
  3. “Ice Ice Baby” – Vanilla Ice
  4. “It Must Have Been Love” – Roxette
  5. “The Heart Of The Matter” – Don Henley

As I wrote last month on the January 1991 edition of RETRO during Operations Desert Shield & Storm we had limited access to hit music on the radio. We only had a few stations to listen to via AFRTS (American Forces Radio & Television Service). “Eagle Radio 103 / 105 / 107” was picked-up out of Riyadh – about 65 miles away. My Top 40 chart was based on that limited radio. It was heavily based on private airplay from cassettes (mostly bootleg) that were sold on base. Also my tentmates played their favorite music – some of which I liked.

Next Friday on RETRO I’ll go back 35 years ago to February 1986.

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 !

All rights reserved (c) 2021 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries