Categories
Career Holidays Military Travel

Honoring My Fellow Veterans

It’s Veterans Day here in the U.S.A.

This past weekend marked the 34TH anniversary that the United States Air Force shipped me off to a foreign country solo for the first time in my life. As an 18½-year-old I flew from Washington Dulles Airport nonstop to London Heathrow Airport. It was an overnight flight from November 09TH into November 10TH of 1985. From there I took British Rail westward to Swindon, and then from there I hired a cab up to RAF Fairford – my home for the next 2 years. (It was my first permanent duty station.)

I’ve been a member of the United States Air Force for the past 35 years now – 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. I’d do it all over again.

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

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All rights reserved (c) 2019 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Bible Christian Church God Humor Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

This weekend it’s something a little bit different. I’m a big fan and regular reader of “The Babylon Bee” – a satirical web site mostly on Christianity and Politics. It’s been around for almost 4 years. They are also on Facebook and Twitter.

A couple of nights ago they reran a classic post from 2 years ago. I loved it the first time. I loved it the next time. I loved it again. Check it out:

https://babylonbee.com/news/pastors-pulpit-says-theology

Recently as part of a major remodeling project of our church sanctuary (new stage, new lighting, new carpet, new chairs, new paint) I was asked to select a brand new pulpit for my use. (Our Lead Pastor doesn’t use the pulpit. He preaches on both sides of it, and in front of it, but never at it.)

I picked-out a really nice plexiglass pulpit, and it was purchased, and I use it every week. I love it. (You can see my reflection in it taking a picture of it.)

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Well apparently The Babylon Bee says that (because of my pulpit) I’m transparent (yes), and I’m vulnerable (yes). Oh yeah – and my theology is lightweight. (OK – I’ll take that one too.)

I essentially preach what I know. I don’t try to preach above my knowledge and skills level. I don’t try to preach like anyone else. I just preach on my 13 years of salvation, and I compare it with my 39 years of life before Christ. I preach a lot on repentance and salvation. I preach on the God that I’ve known since 2006. So yeah you can see right through my sermons. I testify and preach. (That was actually the title of an early sermon of mine from 2017 – “Testify & Preach”.)

All of my sermon titles are two words separated by an ampersand. I’m currently working on two sermons for the next couple of months – “Ways & Memes”, and “Habakkuk & Forth”.

As for the NLT – um – well – guilty as charged !  #BushLeague

Preach the Word of God. Be prepared – whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2 NLT)

All rights reserved (c) 2019 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
2000s Bible Christian God Ministry Music Radio Scripture

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 2004

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 10, 15, 20, or 30 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 2ND Friday of the month, so I go back 15 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday November 07TH 2004:

  1. “Lose My Breath” – Destiny’s Child
  2. “Over And Over (Again)” – Nelly Ft. Tim McGraw
  3. “Dare You To Move” – Switchfoot
  4. “I Don’t Want To Be” – Gavin DeGraw
  5. “Breakaway” – Kelly Clarkson

15 years ago this weekend Switchfoot were trying to tell me all about God, but I wasn’t really listening to the lyrics. I was rockin’ out to the melody. That was 21½ months before salvation began for me. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ dared me to move. He dared me to lift myself up off the floor – out of the pit of despair – out of the mud and the mire – and reach for Him. I did. It was a new day – a day that never happened before. A day that I never imagined before. Salvation began on that day. That was the start of my fantastic journey, and it’s in the lyrics:

♫ Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself ?
Where you gonna go ?
Where you gonna go ?
Salvation is here !

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself
To lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened before ♫

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday with 3 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Enjoy this long holiday weekend here in the U.S.A. Thanks for going RETRO with me !

All rights reserved (c) 2019 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Blogging

250,000 Hits

Well it took a little over 12 years to do so, but I’ve finally done it – or I will do it later today or possibly tomorrow. What did I do ?  Well it’s not really what I did, but it’s what you helped to do, and that is – record a quarter of a million hits to this blog !

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The first 200,000 hits were easy. I did that within the first 2 years of this blog – back when it was far more popular than it is today (especially with busy web robots). It’s since taken over 10 years to get the next 50,000 hits. So I went from averaging 100,000 hits per year to a mere 5,000 hits per year.

That’s one big difference. Another difference is the fact that I’m having more fun with this current era of my blog than I ever did previously on both WordPress and Facebook. Thank You my friends for continuing to support this blog by checking it out and reading it. It’s my pleasure to share this blog with you each week.

I’ve got some fresh new ideas for 2020, so you’ll see those soon. I plan to continue posting 4 blogs per weekend indefinitely, but this weekend (and other select weekends) I’m adding an extra one on Tuesday !

Your time is precious on the web, and my blog posts are designed to be read in about 3 minutes or less. I don’t like reading long blog posts, and I think that most of you feel the same as I do.

Tomorrow on the blog it’s my normal Friday feature, as I go RETRO back to November 07TH 2004. New posts go online at 3 AM EST (U.S. East Coast Time) on Thursdays, Fridays, and Mondays. My “Sunday Scripture” posts go online at around 3 PM EST (after I return home from my church family).

All rights reserved (c) 2019 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries