Every 2ND, 3RD, and 4TH Friday of the month 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, 20, or 30 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).
It’s the 1ST Friday of the month, so it’s a special. Back in 1985 I was an 18-year-old USAF Airman Basic living in a dorm at Chanute AFB near Rantoul Illinois. In September I was in my 2ND month of technical school – learning how to do my future job. We were approaching the halfway point of our 12-week class. For the first 6 weeks class started early in the morning, and it continued until the middle of the afternoon. For the remaining 6 weeks we went to a “swing shift” schedule – starting in the middle of the afternoon, and continuing until late at night. That got us accustomed to the various schedules that we could face while working our job at our first permanent duty station.
I’m still having fun over on Facebook at the Chanute AFB Veterans page – enjoying the classic photos and reminiscing about my short time there on that base surrounded by cornfields. I wish I had photos to share, but sadly I didn’t own a camera or take pictures back then. I had a lot of fun though with my classmates and dormmates !
These were the hottest hits in the land exactly 35 years ago this weekend – for the week ending Sunday September 08TH 1985:
Good solid pop / light-rock music set back then. That’s what played on my static-filled AM radio in my 1980 Chevy Citation (my first car). #MusicRadioWLSChicago
Next week on RETRO it’s back to my regularly-scheduled program. I’ll go back 15 years to the 2ND week of September of 2005.
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. Thanks for going RETRO with me !
All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries
Every 2ND, 3RD, and 4TH Friday of the month 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, 20, or 30 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).
It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 30 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday August 26TH 1990:
“(I Can’t Live Without Your) Love And Affection” – Nelson
What an amazing Top 5 chart. I consider all 5 of those songs to be 5 of the greatest songs of my 53-year lifetime. They (among others) made-up the soundtrack of the greatest summer that ever existed for me prior to salvation in 2006.
My chart flipped that summer from Top 40 to Rock 40. You may remember Rock 40 as a late-’80s / early-’90s hybrid format of mainstream pop music and hard rock music – with a heavy concentration of the rock hits that crossed-over onto the pop chart. It was an awesome sound. Of course even during my Rock 40 chart era there were R & B, Hip Hop, and Dance hits sprinkled-in. That Babyface song was poppin’ back then !
I was a young and wild 23-year-old USAF SGT (E-4) back then living and working here in Homestead Florida – where I remain today. If this 53-year-old could go back in time and talk to that 23-year-old – first-of-all the conversation would be crazy. We would have a long talk. I would ultimately tell 23-year-old me to enjoy that great season while it lasts, for it will eventually end, and no other season will ever come close to it. As great as that season was – you will mourn parts of it. 16 summers from now you will have a supernatural experience that will change your life forever – and save it from certain death.
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) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries
28 years ago in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew destroyed my town and workplace I temporarily moved back to my original home-of-record 1,100 miles away. I stored a few of my personal belongings at my parents’ house (my old bedroom) in McLean Virginia. I stored much of them in my dorm room at Andrews AFB Maryland. What didn’t fit in either place went in to a rented self-storage space near the military base. I kept that space long after (several years after) I left the Washington D.C. area and moved back to Florida (and eventually Homestead).
Last weekend I rented a self-storage space here in Homestead for the first time ever. Aside from those 19 months after Hurricane Andrew I’ve lived here in Homestead for almost 33 years, and that includes the past 25 years here in the same small home. I’ve accumulated a lot of stuff (some would call it junk) here in this home. I think I may even be a borderline hoarder. I don’t like throwing things away. I like keeping things indefinitely. I never know when I may need it. (That’s my home motto.)
Today is the day that I will take my first trunkload of stuff / junk over to my new 5 by 10 by 8 space. That’s 50 square feet / 8 feet from the ground up / 400 cubic feet. I’m looking forward to future trunkloads on future deliveries / visits to my new space. I’m looking forward to uncluttering my home of the past 25 years. Eventually I’ll be moving out of this home and moving to a new town about 180 miles away (after I retire in about 3 years).
As I continue to clear space in my home and prepare it for my retirement years perhaps I’ll do the right thing and also start filling-up some dumpsters near me. There’s a lot to throw away. Whether I do it or store it remains to be seen.
All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries
In Galatians Paul writes about how complete the work of Christ’s death on the cross was for our salvation. God’s work was complete. Nothing more was needed to be added to His work. God’s work was perfect. In an instant – all of our sins – past, present, and future – were wiped clean – forgotten about – when Jesus took those sins to the cross to die.
For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law – you have been cut off from Christ ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. (Galatians 5:4)
For you have been called to live in freedom – my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead – use your freedom to serve one another in love.For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14)
I could stop right there and talk about that, but there’s this next verse that wraps all of this up in a nice blunt manner. Paul doesn’t hold back in his letter. Paul warns:
But if you are always biting and devouring one another – watch out !Beware of destroying one another. (Galatians 5:15)
What a perfect verse for these turbulent times that we’re living in today. We are indeed biting and devouring one another. We are destroying one another. We are doing the work of the devil. Love is lacking in this world.
Beware of destroying one another. Beware of the ways of the world. Beware of legalism. Paul fights legalism all throughout his letter to the Galatians as well as many of his other letters in the New Testament. Legalism is probably the sin that we commit the most on our day-to-day journey. We commit this sin more than we ever did before we were saved. YES – legalism is a sin.
“But Chris I’m confused. What do you mean by legalism ? Aren’t we supposed to be legal – and obey God’s laws – God’s Commandments ? Isn’t that legalism ? How can that be sinful ? Tell me more !”
Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)
See when we’re being legalistic we’re being prideful. We’re full of pride:
“Hey look at me. After just 2 years of being saved by God I’ve quit drinking, I’ve quit smoking, I’ve quit eating junk food, I exercise, I see a Doctor every 3 months, I get regular labwork done, I don’t get angry anymore, and I love everyone – even the people that hate me ! Oh yeah and I also listen to Christian music all day, I read the Bible every day, I write sermons on Saturdays, and I go to church every Sunday ! You should do the same. God loves me for doing all of these things ! He’ll love you too !”
Sounds terrible – doesn’t it ? I mean those are all good things, but nobody wants to hear all that stuff. I would never say any of that stuff – aside from using it as an example in this message to make my point. My fellow believers and followers of Christ – the world out there doesn’t care what we’re doing – or what we’ve stopped doing – or what we’re against – or what we’re opposed to – or what we believe in – when they don’t even know us. None of that stuff saves the world out there. None of that stuff saved me. Christ saved me. All of that other stuff came to be as a result of Christ saving me.
The world out there needs to know that God loves them more than they can only imagine. The world out there needs proof of that love. It is not enough to tell someone that God loves them, and then walk away and tell them to have a nice day. They need to see and feel and experience that love from us. That’s what disciples do. We are all called to be disciples.
So Paul was strongly against legalism. The legalist picks and chooses the rules – the laws – the Commandments – that he or she feels comfortable with obeying. You know – the easy ones. It’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet: “I’ll take some of that, and a bunch of that, and a whole lotta that Good News – but none of that hard-to-digest stuff over there. I don’t agree with that law over there – or that one – or that one.” The legalist – in all of us – conveniently neglects – or even ignores certain laws at times – such as loving the Lord with all your heart, or loving your neighbor as yourself.
We need to be aware of two types of sins – the sins where we did something that we shouldn’t have done – and – perhaps more common – the sins where we did not do something that we should have done.
Each of us has an idea of what sin is, and it evolves over time. What I thought sin was when I was saved – is not the same as what I think sin is now – nearly 14 years later. Our idea of what sin is should align with Scripture. Sometimes we make up new sins that aren’t even in the Bible. And we try to avoid those sins. And when we do avoid those sins we become proud, and we think that God is happy with us: “Look at me God. I’m not doing that anymore !”
There’s that pride right there. Pride is a sin. You sinned by trying not to sin. See you can follow all the “rules” – all the “laws” – and yet completely miss out on Christ. He didn’t even know you.
We want God to know us. He already loves us – no matter what. We must love God. We must love our neighbor as our self.
All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries
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