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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

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Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 20 Hits – 2020

59 hits created 52 weeks of Top 10 Christian hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay. Here it is – my Top 20 hits of 2020:

RK PK WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 22 Almost Home MercyMe
2 1 26 I Will Fear No More The Afters
3 2 25 Alive & Breathing Matt Maher
4 1 18 Rise Up (Lazarus) Cain
5 1 20 No Impossible With You I AM THEY
6 1 20 Keep Me In The Moment Jeremy Camp
7 1 19 The God Who Stays Matthew West
8 1 14 No Hold On Me Matty Mullins
9 1 15 God So Loved We The Kingdom
10 2 18 Your Name Is Power Rend Collective
11 1 12 Rescue Story Zach Williams
12 3 14 This Is What We Live For Big Daddy Weave
13 1 12 Jericho Andrew Ripp
14 2 14 The Father’s House Cory Asbury
15 2 11 Amadeo (Still My God) Ryan Stevenson
16 3 16 Waymaker Michael W. Smith Ft. Vanessa Campagna
17 3 12 See A Victory Elevation Worship
18 3 12 Truth Be Told Matthew West
19 1 9 Miracles Colton Dixon
20 1 11 There Was Jesus Zach Williams Ft. Dolly Parton

# 1 For The Year In:
2019 – “Nobody (But Jesus)” – Casting Crowns Ft. Matthew West 
2018 – “Do It Again” – Elevation Worship
2017 – “Broken Things” – Matthew West

What a great year for positive and encouraging music that tells the story of God. What a great chart to represent His music. What a unique year that 2020 was – a year like no other. 

My # 2 artist of the past 202 weeks – MercyMe – scored my # 1 smash of 2020 with “Almost Home” – a song that spent 12 consecutive weeks at # 1 from late-February to early-May. MercyMe return to my year-end chart after no-showing in 2019. (“Even If” was my # 2 hit of 2017, and “Grace Got You” was my # 2 hit of 2018.)

My # 1 artist of the past 202 weeks – Matthew West – makes it 4 years in a row on my year-end chart, and this year he places 2 songs on it including the still-climbing “Truth Be Told” which is now at # 3 for the week. There’s a good chance that it could compete for # 1 next week.

My # 2 hit of 2020 – The Afters’ “I Will Fear No More” – was my longest-running hit of the year at 26 weeks – from late-January to mid-July. It was quite the timely song to hear during the peak of the pandemic.

Elevation Worship have now placed a song on my year-end chart for the past 3 years in a row.

Unspoken’s “You’ve Always Been” missed out on my year-end chart by just 2 chart points. It’s officially my # 21 hit of 2020.

My Top 20 Of 2020 chart was compiled by awarding 10 points for each week at # 1, 9 points for # 2, and so forth and so on down to 1 point for # 10. The points are then added, and the hits are ranked.

There were 14 # 1 hits in 2020, and 2 of them failed to make my Top 20 – “Holy Water” (We The Kingdom) and “Every Step Of The Way” (Cade Thompson). They were my first and last # 1 hits of the year respectively.

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) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 202

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 December 27TH 2020:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 5 Every Step Of The Way Cade Thompson
2 2 7 Image Of God We Are Messengers
3 4 12 Truth Be Told Matthew West
4 3 18 Rise Up (Lazarus) Cain
5 5 7 Out Of My Hands Jeremy Camp
6 7 3 Man Of Your Word Maverick City Music
7 8 6 Famous For (I Believe) Tauren Wells
8 9 5 Sparrows Cory Asbury
9 10 5 Wake Up Sleeper Austin French
10 1 Another In The Fire Hillsong United

# 1 This Week In:
2019 – “Unstoppable God” – Sanctus Real 
2018 – “Well Done” – The Afters
2017 – “Lions” – Skillet

And there you have it – my final Top 10 of 2020. It’s another slow chart week with minimal movements up and down.

Hillsong United is back with their 5TH hit since 2017. A live worship version of “Another In The Fire” was recorded late in 2018, and the studio version was recorded later in 2019. It was released as a single about 7 months ago, and now it’s an emerging radio hit for 2021.

This is not the end of the weekend here at #CountUp. I’ll have a special Tuesday blog post tomorrow, as I present my Top 20 hits of 2020. 2 of my Top 10 hits above are on my Top 20 chart. (Spoiler Alert:  They are logically my longest-running hits right now.)

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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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 December 27TH 2020 – the final Sunday of 2020. You know as 2019 was coming to an end we were all looking forward to a new year, a new decade, and a new beginning. It started off rather promising, but then it turned into something that none of us had ever seen or experienced before – a global pandemic that shut the world down.

For some of us 2020 was the worst year of our life, but for many of us it was a great year. It was definitely a year like no other. I think most of us spent more time in our own homes than in any previous year of our life. I learned how to work from home this year, and while it was convenient it wasn’t particularly practical for me. (I’m now back at the workplace full-time.)

The old – 2020 – is almost over. It will soon pass. It will soon be behind us. We can’t do anything about it. What’s done is done. Behold – the new – 2021 – will soon arrive. The LORD said, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing.” [Isaiah 43:18-19a]. God said, “I am making all things new.” [Revelation 21:5a].

My hope for you is that 2021 is truly greater for you than 2020. I pray that for you. I pray that for me. It’s a new beginning. Our God loves new beginnings. He loves new creations.

In this upcoming new year – in this new season – let us renew our commitment to getting closer to Christ our Savior.

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created, and is supreme over all creation. For through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see – and the things we can’t see … Everything was created through Him, and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church – which is His body. He is the beginning – supreme over all who rise from the dead, so He is first in everything. For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)

Christ is Supreme. He came to this earth as a man, but He was and He is God. He’s the Creator of everything. He created each and every one of us. He created a fantastic journey with a unique purpose for all. He was and He is a Savior. He loved us so much that He was willing to die for us just to save us. And then – He conquered death and came back to Life. He’s eternal. He’ll never ever fail us. We must always honor Christ in everything we do and everywhere we go so that we too can rise again – after our time here on Earth is done – so that we can spend eternity with Him.

Let us believe that God is in total control of all of His Glorious creations – then and now – always and forever – through the sunny and clear and pleasing days – and through the dark and stormy and uncertain nights. God is there to lead us. He wants us to follow Him. Let’s do that. Walk with me.

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries