Category: Life

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1985

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date August 7, 2020

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. I was in my first week of technical school after 6½ weeks of Basic Training at Lackland AFB near San Antonio Texas. It was my first week ever in Illinois. I lived (and trained) there for about 3 months, and I haven’t been back since. I’m actually having a lot of fun over on Facebook reminiscing with my fellow Chanute AFB colleagues about my short time there.

These were the hottest hits in the land exactly 35 years ago this weekend – for the week ending Sunday August 11TH 1985:

“Shout” – Tears For Fears
“Everytime You Go Away” – Paul Young
“If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” – Sting
“Never Surrender” – Corey Hart
“The Power Of Love” – Huey Lewis And The News

Good solid pop / light-rock music back then. It was the soundtrack of my 3RD month in the Air Force. I remember listening to a local Hot Adult Contemporary radio station at the time out of Champaign Illinois. Once I got my car (which only had AM radio) I listened to MusicRadio WLS – the “blowtorch” out of Chicago. (They made “Chi-CA-go” sound so nice during their top-of-the-hour station identification jingles.)

Next week on RETRO it’s back to my regularly-scheduled program. I’ll go back 15 years to the 2ND week of August of 2005.

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 !

Tags 1985, Music, Radio, Top 40

Bible Blogging Christian God Life Ministry Music Scripture

Sunday Scripture

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

Greetings my friends. It’s Sunday August 02ND 2020, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. And let us celebrate this new day on our journey together.

I’m approaching my 14TH anniversary of the start of my salvation. It began during the 3RD week of August of 2006. To the naysayers once close to me who thought that this was merely a “passing fad” – well – this “passing fad” is getting ready to start a 15TH year. The truth is this: I’m on fire for my Lord + Savior Jesus Christ today more than yesterday, and tomorrow more than today. With each new day I’m moving forward – towards and closer to my God.

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands you sinners. Purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor. (James 4:7-10 NLT)

Every so often I like to reminisce and remember where I was and what I was doing any number of years ago. I even have a regular weekly feature every Friday here on my blog called RETRO. As we progress further into our respective journeys it’s important to look back at where we came from – so that we know what we’re leaving behind to get to our ultimate destination in Heaven. I certainly don’t wish to return to where I was yesterday. We must be closer to God than we were a minute ago, an hour ago, a day ago, a week ago, a month ago, a year ago, and so forth. We must move away from the mud and the mire as we #CountUp to God.

This WordPress blog goes back to 2007 (nearly 1,800 posts). When I read some of my posts from the early years of my salvation I sometimes think to myself, “I’m so happy that I’ve matured since then.” And then there are those certain posts when I think to myself, “I loved what I wrote there. That’s still 100% on-point today.”

Such is the case with a gem from exactly 10 years ago this weekend. Under my banner “My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics” I wrote about my upcoming 4TH anniversary of the start of my salvation. I also included Brandon Heath’s song and video “Give Me Your Eyes”.

Here is that post in its entirety – from Sunday August 01ST 2010:

As we begin this 8TH month of 2010 today I move a little closer to the remarkable 4-year / 48-month anniversary of my fantastic journey. It was the 3RD week of August of 2006 when my life as I knew it ended, and a new Life began. God rescued and saved me from evil and darkness. He told me to follow Him. He said that He would lead me towards the light of The Truth. He asked me to believe in Him. After more than 39 years of life on His Earth I finally did. I surrendered to Him. When the world around me rejected me God accepted me.

That’s exactly what He will do for you as well – if you would just let Him. When your friends abandon you. When the world rejects you. When you’re lonely. There’s a Kingdom all around you that’s more powerful than you can ever imagine. God will wait for you. When you’re ready – He’s ready to lead you.

♫ Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see ♫

It’s in the lyrics:

Tags Bible, Blog, Brandon Heath, Christian, God, Scripture

1990s Bible Career Christian Driving God Life Military Ministry Music Radio Scripture Travel Weather

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1990

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date July 24, 2020

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 30 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday July 22ND 1990:

“Don’t Go Away Mad … Just Go Away” – Motley Crue
“The Cradle Of Love” – Billy Idol
“Possession” – Bad English
“She Ain’t Worth It” – Glenn Medeiros With Bobby Brown
“King Of Wishful Thinking” – Go West

30 years ago this past week I completed a 2-week TDY. In military lingo a TDY is a temporary duty assignment that’s physically located somewhere away from your home station – usually for the purpose of training or deployment. I spent 2 weeks at Tyndall AFB near Panama City Florida. It was the wildest and craziest 2 weeks of the active duty portion of my military career.

I arrived on Saturday July 07TH 1990. 2 weeks / 10 days of training (related to my job) began on Monday July 09TH 1990 and ended on Friday July 20TH 1990. I returned home on Saturday July 21ST 1990. I drove a total of 1,687 miles from start to finish in my red 1989 Geo Spectrum. (Even back then I kept track of road-trip mileage.)

Me and one of my classmates (same age) discovered and explored (for the first time) Panama City Beach during the weekend break. We partied hard like it was 1990 and we were 23 years young. We hit up Spinnaker and Club La Vela. They were the hottest nightclubs on the beach for many years – located right next to each other. We went there both days / nights that weekend.

It was a rockin’ and rowdy weekend that I looked back at fondly for many years – until salvation began 16 summers later in 2006. That’s when I stopped celebrating it. That’s when I started repenting it.

But that wasn’t enough. I returned to Panama City Beach for 2 days and 2 nights leading up to Christmas Eve in 2010. The beach was cold and deserted. I was bundled up. I was back at the scene of the crimes. I walked the beach alone. I admired God’s beauty. I repented of my sins and I asked for forgiveness as I paced back-and-forth. I listened for God’s voice. Once I departed the beach on the morning of Christmas Eve I felt that I had finally closed that chapter of my life.

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and He will again send you Jesus – your appointed Messiah. For He must remain in Heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through His holy prophets. (Acts 3:19-21 NLT)

I observe that weekend in July of 1990, but I don’t celebrate it anymore. I thank God for rescuing and saving me from destruction some 16 years later. That’s what I celebrate nowadays – especially each summertime. Next month I’ll celebrate 14 years of salvation.

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 !

Tags 1990, Music, Panama City Beach, Radio, Top 40

Blogging Driving Health Home Life Travel

Spring Season Finale

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date June 18, 2020

Greetings my friends. Thanks for checking-in and tracking with me. Happy Thursday June 18TH 2020. It’s the start of another weekend of blogging here at #CountUp – because weekends begin on Thursday mornings. This weekend is special though, as it’s my “Spring Season Finale” (hence the title). What does that mean ? That means it’s time to take a break from social media after 15½ weekends of non-stop blogging and 63 posts in a row.

This Spring season of blogging began on Sunday March 08TH 2020 – just as the global pandemic was gaining steam and forcing us into seclusion in our own homes. I had just returned from a Pastors’ conference of 5,000+ strong in Orlando as well as a MercyMe / Jeremy Camp concert in a packed sports arena near Fort Myers.

This past Monday and Tuesday I drove 21 and 22 miles respectively (to and from my workplace). That 22 miles was (incredibly) the most miles driven in a single day in over 3 months. I actually filled-up my car with gas that day for the first time in 50 days. I had previously gone 48 days between fill-ups.

This past Tuesday was also a rare 3-mile walking day for me (as per my Fitbit). It was the first one in over a month, and only the 9TH one since the global pandemic began. (3 miles is a little over 6,500 steps for me.)

So once this weekend is over I’ll be walking more, I’ll be driving more, and I’ll be getting more natural Vitamin D – outdoors. I’ll be driving about 1,700 miles (round-trip) after this weekend. That’s about the number of miles I’ve driven since February 01ST 2020 ! I’ll share the details with you when I return after the 04TH of July. #RoadTrip

But this weekend is just getting started. I’ll be back tomorrow (Friday) for an all-new RETRO from 2000. On Sunday I’ll share God’s Word with you. And then on Monday it’s my brand new Top 10 music chart. After that I’ll be on hiatus for almost 2 weeks.

I’ll catch you tomorrow. Have a great Thursday !