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
Blogging Driving Food Geography History Travel

Retirement Road-Trip

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. A couple of weeks ago I revealed the first 2 pitstops / overnight stays of my upcoming retirement road-trip. You can read that original blog post here.

The first 5 days of my road-trip are mostly planned-out intentionally. I’m driving a little over 1,200 miles from my home in the Heartland of Florida to North Texas (Dallas area), so I spaced it out as good as I could in order to accommodate the memorials, monuments, museums, and nouns (persons, places, and things) that I wish to see along the way.

I’m spending Night 3 in Natchez Mississippi – overlooking the mighty Mississippi River. I spent a night there on my last road-trip to North Texas in November of 2021. I was able to take a few photos of the surrounding area around my hotel, and then the sun set right after that. For this upcoming trip I plan to arrive earlier in the afternoon so that I can visit one (or both) of the following historic homes / museums – Historic Auburn, and the Rosalie Mansion. Also – I hear that Magnolia Grill is the place to enjoy delicious food, so I’ll check it out. I was planning to eat dinner there on my last visit, but it got dark fast, and I didn’t want to drive around town at night. Sunset will be at 1927 (7:27 PM) CDT the night I’m there, so I should be good for this visit.

From Natchez I’m headed westward into Louisiana – mostly along U.S. 84 – and then northward – mostly along U.S. 59 – to Marshall Texas. That’s my pitstop for Night 4. I hope to visit the Starr Family Home while I’m there. I need to do more research on Marshall to see what else I may wish to visit, and of course – I need a good restaurant to enjoy dinner at.

On the 5TH day – I arrive at my destination where my family lives. I’ll be in North Texas for 9 days.

Next #TravelThursday – ALL ABOARD on the Sugar Express. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 368

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 March 03RD 2024 – the 368TH week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 13 Strong
[2ND week @ # 1]		 Anne Wilson
2 2 13 Lead On Good Shepherd Patrick Mayberry
3 3 10 Hallelujah Anyway Rend Collective
4 4 5 These Days Jeremy Camp
5 6 2 You’ve Already Won Shane & Shane
6 7 2 He Does Brandon Heath
7 5 17 I Believe Phil Wickham
8 8 4 Don’t Stop Praying Matthew West
9 9 3 Honestly, We Just Need Jesus Terrian
10 – 1 Praise Elevation Worship

# 1 This Week In:
2023 – “The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)” – Matt Maher
2022 – “Jesus Is Coming Back” – Jordin Feliz Ft. Mandisa & Jonathan Traylor
2021 – “Say I Won’t” – MercyMe
2020 – “Almost Home” – MercyMe
2019 – “Red Letters” – Crowder
2018 – “Gracefully Broken” – Matt Redman Ft. Tasha Cobbs Leonard
2017 – “Love Broke Thru ” – TobyMac

REND COLLECTIVE – My favorite band from Northern Ireland are riding high on my chart with their 4TH hit since 2017 – “Hallelujah Anyway”. They hit # 2 with their debut smash – “Rescuer (Good News)”. They also hit # 2 exactly 4 years ago with their last song – “Your Name Is Power”. I get the feeling that their current hit could be my next # 1 smash. It’s an uplifting song that reminds us that hope awaits us – even if it’s dark and dreary. We must “Hallelujah Anyway”:

SPOTIFY – You can hear “My Top 10 Hits” anytime simply by heading over to 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.

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again with the new weekend – and 3 new entries – known as #TravelThursday, #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. God used loud music on the radio 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) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday March 03RD 2024, 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 morning I’m in Homestead Florida for perhaps the final time in about 8 weeks. I’ll return home to my retirement community near Sebring Florida this afternoon.

This morning I’m making my last formal appearance at my church home here in Homestead – Living Waters Full Gospel Church. Next Sunday marks my 9TH anniversary with my longtime church family. I’ll be opening the service, singing up on stage songs of Praise & Worship to God, leading Communion for the 79TH and final time, and closing our service with some Good News from our Lord. I’m sure that there will be tears of joy throughout.

Next #SundayScripture I’ll present a transcription of that Communion in its entirety.

I’ve completed my “Sebring & Weigle” sermon. It enters the next phase now – enhancement and incorporation into PowerPoint Presentation. It will be the next sermon that I preach publicly.

Here’s a small excerpt from that sermon. It immediately follows a crucial turning point in the life of Dr. Charles Frederick Weigle:

Psalm 34:17-18 (NLT):
The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

I can testify to that. I’m sure that you can too. The LORD rescued me from my troubles. He rescued me when my spirits were crushed. Not just once. Not just twice. But over and over again – ever since He saved me for the first time on that August morning in 2006. Our Lord rescues all who believe and follow Him.

My testimony is featured each week here 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) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Blogging Driving Food Geography History Travel

Tampa Bay History Center

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last Saturday I visited the Tampa Bay History Center with about 30 of my Sebring Historical Society friends. We left our own museum (via charter bus) just before 8 AM, and we got to the Tampa Bay History Center (downtown on Water Street) right at 10 AM. Our docent was waiting for us up on the 2ND floor. (The museum is 4 stories with the bottom / ground floor serving mostly as the main entrance. All of the exhibits are on the 2ND, 3RD, and 4TH floors.)

It’s a very nice modern museum (built from 2007 to 2009). Our docent led us on a tour of the 2ND and 4TH floors, and we also watched a couple of short films. (The 3RD floor was self-guided.) There were lots of interesting and informative permanent and temporary exhibits supporting the history of the Tampa Bay area. (I especially liked the Roaring ’20s temporary exhibit.)

We spent 3 hours at the museum, but you can easily spend much of the day there, as there is plenty to see for all ages. (They are open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM.)

A few of us were also looking at that multi-story museum (built up instead of out) as an idea for our own future museum / offices / archives / conference center space somewhere near downtown Sebring. (Right now we’re bursting at the seams with a cramped standalone museum and offices and archives packed like sardines in leased space located underneath the city’s public library.)

After our museum visit we enjoyed a very nice buffet lunch at the historic (120-year-old) Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. The restaurant sits on an entire city block (East 7TH Avenue between North 21ST & 22ND Streets). It is perhaps the largest Spanish restaurant in the world at 52,000 square-feet. It can handle up to 1,700 customers at one time. It was very busy on this Saturday afternoon. (We had our own private dining room up on the 2ND floor.)

It was another fun field trip with my Sebring Historical Society friends. I’m looking forward to finding out the next destination !

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll reveal the next two likely pitstops on my upcoming retirement road-trip to North Texas. One overlooks the mighty Mississippi, and one is in East Texas where U.S. 80 and U.S. 59 meet. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp