Category: Blogging

Sunday Scripture

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date April 12, 2020

(Continued from last Sunday.)

All right. So this is Part 4 of my 4-part online-only sermon that I started here on Sunday March 22ND, and then continued on Sunday March 29TH and Sunday April 05TH. It’s Easter Sunday – Resurrection Sunday. It’s a great and glorious day, as is every day on this fantastic journey. But this one is extra special, for He is risen. He is risen indeed !

Let’s close-out this sermon in a big way.

Let’s go to the Old Testament with wisdom from the Book of Ecclesiastes:

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls – the other can reach out and help. (4:9-10a)

That’s from the current edition of the New Living Translation. It was actually revised from the 1ST edition from almost 25 years ago. It used these words:

Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one – they get a better return for their labor.

I like that – both the original and the revision.

You know that’s called a tag team in the WWE. When one of the superstars gets tired or gets beaten up – he or she tags in his or her tag team partner, and they keep the fight going with their adversaries while the other one rests and recuperates, and cheers his or her partner on.

It’s kind of like us when one of our brothers or sisters submits to the enemy and needs our help to pull them out of the dark and dreary culvert that runs along both sides of the journey. Sometimes we stumble. Sometimes we fall. We can’t walk this journey alone. I learned that during my first 100 days of this fantastic journey. See back then I was an orphan – not part of a church body – not belonging to any church family. I had no tag team partners. I had no stable (another WWE term). I walked alone. I knew I couldn’t go much further like that. I mean I realized that I was rescued and saved by my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, but what’s next ? I needed a church family to find out what’s next. I soon found a church family that I could grow with.

My next sermon (already written) – is titled “Church & State”. It explores the urgency of being an important part of a church family. Our God commands it. I hope to preach it to my church family real soon – once we gather again in person corporately.

As the Bible says (in Ecclesiastes 4:10b & 12-13):

Someone who falls alone is in real trouble. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

There’s something to be said there about power in numbers. That’s a common theme in the WWE. When a lovable babyface is being attacked by a miserable heel oftentimes a fellow face or a group of faces emerge from the locker room area backstage, run down the ramp, jump in to the ring, and help the face in peril by ridding the heel(s) from the ring and saving their brother or sister.

It kind of works the same way on this fantastic journey. That’s why we need each other as believers and followers of our God Almighty. We must fight the enemy together. We must encourage and inspire and bless each other. We must cheer each other on. We must pray for each other. We will conquer. God is on our side.

You know I’ve been to a lot of WWE LIVE events in bars and arenas over the past 19 years. We’re a unique type of people. I call them “my people”. They like what I like. They came to see what I came to see. They cheer who I cheer. They jeer who I jeer. We even dress alike. “My people.”

You know who else us are “my people” ? My church family. We meet and greet every Sunday. We pray together. We sing together. We praise and worship together. We listen to the sermon together. “My people.” God’s people.

Last weekend was WrestleMania Weekend – a 36-year tradition within the WWE. It’s the peak of the year. It’s what it all leads-up to. It’s what it’s all about. The storylines end here. WrestleMania Weekend is usually held in a football stadium, and 75,000 to 100,000 wrestling fans worldwide show up for it en masse. Not this year though. Because of COVID-19 WrestleMania Weekend was held inside an empty training building. The show went on though.

This weekend is Easter Weekend – a nearly 2,000-year tradition here in this world. It’s the peak of the year. It’s what it all leads-up to. It’s what it’s all about. The story didn’t end on Friday on that cross. It continued on Sunday when Jesus Christ conquered death and rose again. Easter Weekend is usually celebrated in church buildings big and small, and millions of Christians worldwide show up for it en masse. Many Christians only enter a church building on Easter Sunday. Not this year though. Because of COVID-19 Easter Weekend is being celebrated in our respective homes. The celebration must go on.

Luke 24-34

HE IS RISEN ! HE IS RISEN – INDEED ! The Lord has really risen ! He appeared to Peter. (Luke 24:34). He was seen by the Twelve, and the more than 500 of His followers at the time, and by James (the half-brother of Jesus), and by all the apostles, and by Paul. (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)

Today we join our brothers and sisters in Christ worldwide – God’s children – God’s church – as we observe and celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ – our Lord and Savior.

We join our brothers and sisters of this global church family on this Resurrection Sunday, but we know that every waking moment of every new day is a renewed celebration of Christ conquering the grave, rising from the dead, and giving us life. HE IS RISEN ! HE IS RISEN – INDEED ! And since He is risen – we have risen from the darkness that we once knew.

He was concealed in the Old Testament. He was revealed in the New Testament. See Jesus keeps His promises – then and now. He does what He says He is going to do. He is who He says He is. He is the Messiah. He is risen. He is risen – indeed. He is alive. He sits on the throne of Heaven. He is the King of Kings. He is the Lord of Lords. He gives us life. He breathes life onto our dry bones. Breath of God – breathe on us ! He makes all things new. He gives us hope. He gives us purpose. He makes us vessels of vibrant living waters.

YES ! On this Resurrection Sunday that the LORD has made – let’s observe – let’s rejoice – let’s celebrate – our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ – The Risen One !

Tags Blog, Christ, Easter, Jesus, Resurrection, Sermon

Animals Blogging

Remembering Barney & Fluffy

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date April 9, 2020

WELCOME to an all-new weekend of blogging ! Tomorrow I’ll present a very special Good Friday post, and then on Easter Sunday my 4-part sermon titled “Faces & Heels” concludes. I’ll end the weekend on Monday with my brand new Top 10 music chart.

This weekend I’m remembering Barney and Fluffy. They passed on during this same week of April 5 years apart in 2001 (Fluffy) and 2006 (Barney). They were the childhood cats of me and my brother (8 years younger than me), but I should clarify that a bit.

We found Fluffy (a Manx) outside on our elevated backyard patio deck on a bitter cold and icy Northern Virginia morning on the 23RD of December of 1983. We brought her in, gave her some milk to drink, loved on her, and then she refused to leave ! She remained with us (our family) for over 17 years – until 2001 – long after me and my brother had become adults and moved on with our respective lives.

Barney arrived on the scene about 4½ years later in 1988 while I was living here in Homestead Florida (where I’m still living today). My brother was still living at home. I’m not sure where exactly we got Barney, but it may have been from a coworker of our Mom. Barney remained with our family for about 18 years – until 2006.

Both cats lived long, fat, and happy lives in comfort. Fluffy was the most lovable feline I have ever known in my entire life. I had never heard a purr in my life until I heard it from her. Barney was simply “the cat that didn’t like me” – although during his last year (of perhaps senility) he came over to me and purred on me as if to ask me for my forgiveness for all of those years in which he didn’t care for me. Barney loved my brother more than anyone else. Fluffy loved me more than anyone else.

During Fluffy’s later years – even though I was gone for many months at a time – the instant that I returned for a visit was the same instant that she would come to life and erupt into continuous meows of joy, loud uninterrupted purrs, and frequent head, body, and tail bumps.

Here are some classic photos of Barney and Fluffy. The first one has a date imprinted on the back of it of ‘APR 89’; however, I suspect that the photo was actually taken around Christmas-time of 1988. That would make Fluffy about 5½ to 6 years old and Barney less than a year old. The second photo was taken several years later well into the 1990s. Same wall and location – different couch – fatter felines.

Barney & Fluffy - Christmas-Time 1988 — Barney & Fluffy – Christmas-Time 1988

Barney & Fluffy - Mid-1990s — Barney & Fluffy – Mid-1990s

Tags Cats, Felines

Blogging Health Home

New Look, New Feel

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date April 2, 2020

So you’ve noticed that my blog has a new look and a new feel to it. Last weekend I changed the theme (as WordPress calls it), and I customized it to look as close as possible to the previous theme. This is the first time I’ve changed the theme of my blog in about 10 years, so it was time to do so. It’s got a cleaner and crisper look now, and it’ll take a little while to get used to it, but I’ll manage. I may still tweak it a little here and there.

Last week (23-29 March 2020) was my most sedentary week in over 4 years as per my Fitbit. I only walked 12.20 miles, and that actually included a 1.47-mile walk around my neighborhood early last Saturday morning. I walked a 3.01-mile day on that Saturday – the most in over 3 weeks – yet that wasn’t enough to prevent it from being such an inactive week of walking. Now that my professional workplace office is temporarily my kitchen – I don’t have much to walk. I really need to force myself to go outside before I begin each new work day and just walk around for a mile or more.

For those of you tracking with me on “Sunday Scripture” I’m half-done with my WWE-inspired online-only sermon “Faces & Heels”. Part 3 is coming this Sunday. I know that I’ve exceeded my “3-minutes-or-less” reading rule for both Part 1 and Part 2 by about a minute or two apiece, so I’ll make-up for it with this short blog post.

Tags Fitbit, Sermon

Blogging Career Health Home Military Music Photography Travel

Home Sweet Home

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date March 26, 2020

Home Is Where The Heart Is

That’s right, and I’ll be at home for awhile. My kitchen is now my professional workplace. Due to the current real-world conditions I brought my job home with me earlier this week, and it will stay here at home indefinitely. It could be a few weeks. It could be a few months. But I’m determined to continue working here at home in my kitchen to support the mission – whatever that mission may be. (I don’t discuss my job in public other than the fact that I’m a 35-year employee of the United States Air Force.)

Incidentally this is a COVID-19-free blog. I won’t talk about it on here in any way because this is also a political-free blog, and you can’t talk about COVID-19 without getting political.

My goal over these next few weeks (or months) is to – believe it or not – lose a few pounds (by eating less), and get more physically fit by engaging in my favorite exercise – walking. This past Sunday morning at dawn I actually did something for the first time in a little over 3 years. I walked around the entire perimeter of my own neighborhood – 1.37 miles in 23 minutes and 21 seconds. I hope to do more neighborhood walks early in the morning, as long as weather conditions permit.

Well this is my spontaneous Thursday at 3 AM blog post. I have no idea what I plan to write until I actually write it. My Friday, Sunday, and Monday blog posts are programmed. You pretty much know what you’re gonna get from me on those 3 days. Incidentally this upcoming Sunday I’ll present Part 2 of my multi-part sermon titled “Faces & Heels”. Part 2 will pick-up where Part 1 left-off this past Sunday. This is shaping-up to be a 4-part sermon, so it will culminate on Easter Sunday (April 12TH).

Over on my Flickr site I’m posting photos of my January 19TH 2020 visit to the Edison And Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers Florida. I love that place. If I lived over there in that region I’d probably hang out there on a regular basis if not volunteer there and give guided tours. It’s one of the coolest museums that I’ve ever visited – even cooler than the last museum that I volunteered at inside Everglades National Park.

Well this concludes my Thursday blog post. I’ll be back again tomorrow morning for my weekly RETRO. This week I’ll be looking back at Sunday March 25TH 1990. A 19-year-old had the # 1 smash on my chart, and it eventually hit # 1 nationwide on Billboard’s Hot 100. He got help on the song from the hottest band in the world at the time. Find out who he is when I turn the page on a new day.