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1990s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1996

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 2ND Friday of the month, so I go back 25 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday January 07TH 1996:

  1. “Hand In My Pocket” – Alanis Morissette
  2. “You Oughta Know” – Alanis Morissette
  3. “I Wanna B With U” – Fun Factory
  4. “This House Is Not A Home” – The Rembrandts
  5. “Name” – Goo Goo Dolls

I recently saw Alanis Morissette perform the classic “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” on “LIVE With Kelly And Ryan”. I thought she did a great job with it. 25 years ago Alanis was at the peak of her career as her “Jagged Little Pill” album soared to the top of the charts around the world carrying 6 hit singles with it. “You Oughta Know” and “Hand In My Pocket” were the first 2 of 6.

Top 40 radio was a bit dormant here in South Florida during the early-1990s, as the lone CHR station here in the market at the time (Y-100) was more Hot A.C. than Top 40. But late in 1995 a new Program Director took over the station, and he flipped it back to full-blown Mainstream Top 40 (almost overnight). Both Alanis Morissette hits were part of that Top 40 revolution back then, and it was part of the rebirth of my own hit music chart at the time after a 3-year hiatus. 

1996 was a great year in Top 40 music, and I’m looking forward to sharing some of the biggest hits of that year with you once a month here at #CountUp. It’s hard to believe that 1996 was a quarter of a century ago, and that I was 28 (going on 29) back then.

Next Friday on RETRO I’ll go back 30 years ago to January 1991. It’ll be a unique “look back”, as I didn’t produce my weekly hit music chart back then because I was serving in Operations Desert Shield / Storm in Saudi Arabia. I’ll share my thoughts on the music of the war from “Tent City”.

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

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Blogging Driving Travel

Driving In 2020

I drove a modest 6,395 miles during the unique leap year that was 2020. That’s an average of just shy of 17.5 miles per day. As it turns out December was a slightly above-average month – only the 5TH such month of 2020. I drove 562 miles in December – the most since June and July when I went on a 9-day / 1,690-mile road-trip between South Florida and South Alabama that straddled both months. December was in fact my first normal month of day-to-day local driving since February. I actually drove more miles in December (562) – than I did during the 97 days from March 20TH to June 24TH (547) !

My 5-year average from 2015 to 2019 was 10,237 miles per year. I expect 2021 to be closer to that total. I’m currently planning my road-trips for 2021. I’ll be visiting South Central and Southwest Florida in March, and possibly North Texas in November. More road-trips are still to be determined, and I usually share those with you here on this blog after they occur. Hopefully 2021 is a more normal year overall than 2020 was.

Finally – I filled-up with gas 19 times in 2020, and I paid an average of $2.169 per gallon. That’ll skyrocket in 2021. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw $3 per gallon gas prices again later this year.

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

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Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 203

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 – for the week ending Sunday January 03RD 2021:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 6 Every Step Of The Way Cade Thompson
2 3 13 Truth Be Told Matthew West
3 2 8 Image Of God We Are Messengers
4 5 8 Out Of My Hands Jeremy Camp
5 4 19 Rise Up (Lazarus) Cain
6 6 4 Man Of Your Word Maverick City Music
7 7 7 Famous For (I Believe) Tauren Wells
8 8 6 Sparrows Cory Asbury
9 9 6 Wake Up Sleeper Austin French
10 10 2 Another In The Fire Hillsong United

# 1 This Week In:
2020 – “Holy Water” – We The Kingdom 
2019 – “Well Done” – The Afters
2018 – “Lions” – Skillet

2021 starts pretty much the same way 2020 ended. There’s some good new music coming out that I’m hoping generates enough radio airplay to make it onto my chart. I’m especially interested in the new Cochren & Co. song “Who Can”, as well as Natalie Grant’s “Face To Face”. Phil Wickham is trending with his new one “Battle Belongs”. Look for my chart to heat-up in the next few weeks.

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

Greetings my friends ! This is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us continue to believe, to follow, and to trust our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

It is Sunday January 03RD 2021. We finally made it into a new year. It’s a new beginning. It’s a new thing. I’m not into New Year’s resolutions. I used to be, but that’s such a secular thing that the world does. I have a simple goal that’s not confined to a new year. That goal is to get closer to God with each new day – closer than yesterday.

How do I get closer to God ? I spend more time in His Word – reading and studying and writing about His Good News. This past weekend I finished writing the second-half of my current sermon titled “Kingdom & World”. I had the first-half written. I just needed to continue it and close it. I was able to do that this past New Year’s Day. Now I have a full sermon that’s almost ready to preach when I’m called upon to do so.

It’s based on John 16:16 to 17:26. Here’s an excerpt:

… Christ continues His final prayer to the Father:

I pray that they will all be one – just as You and I are One – as You are in Me – Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me. “I have given them the glory You gave Me, so they may be one as We are One. I am in them, and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me, and that You love them as much as You love Me. (John 17:21-23)

God wants us to be one – one church body – just as the Father and the Son are One. As a church body we represent Jesus – out there in the world. Nobody’s gonna listen to us out there if we’re not one – if we’re not unified in our message. If we’re sad – if we’re miserable – if we show no joy – if we’re combative – if we’re intolerant – if we’re hateful – the world won’t see God in us.

We must not be judges out there in the world. We must be witnesses of the Kingdom.

When we’re the hands and the feet and the mouthpiece of God – and we act like it – and our walk verifies our talk – that’s when the world takes notice. That’s when the world sees a new thing going on. That’s when there may be one or two or more people of the world who want to check-in to the Kingdom we’re in.

This Just In:  Our God rescues and saves lost souls all around the world every moment of every day. God’s Kingdom continues to expand. You won’t ever see that on the Evening News, but God is at work via His disciples who have the power of the Holy Spirit living within. And that’s God’s Good News ! …

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