Category: Music

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God Music People

My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics

In Ephesians – Chapter 4 – Verses 7 to 16 – The Bible Says:

7  However, He has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.
8  That is why the Scriptures say, “When He ascended to the heights, He led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to His people.”
9  Notice that it says “He ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.
10  And the same One who descended is the One who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that He might fill the entire universe with Himself.
11  Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
12  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
13  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14  Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
15  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church.
16  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Those apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers – that’s us within God’s church family – each and every one of us who believes and trusts in Him.

Very early on during the first year of my fantastic journey one of the new Pastors within my church family called me out during one of his first Sunday morning teachings. The man stood up there on the stage right in the middle of his message that morning, and he boldly exclaimed these 7 words in front of everyone, “Chris Day – YOU’RE a Disciple of Christ !” A series of chills – sent from up above – totally consumed my body. That was instantly one of the most groundbreaking moments of my fantastic journey. That’s when it all really made sense to me as a born again Christian. From that point forward I realized that I had a real role – an urgent purpose – a definite mission on this journey.

Those gifts that God gave to us – those are our special talents. We all have them whether we accept them as legitimate or not. We should indeed use them to benefit and progress the Kingdom of Christ – our Creator – our Provider. If our skill is in speaking then we should speak up for Christ. If our skill is in writing then we should write to the world. If we know that we have that special skill – that gift from God – then we should use it, for if we don’t do so then we are essentially aiding the enemy that lurks in the nearby darkness. Don’t be that weak link within God’s Kingdom. Be alive !  Disciple to the world as you walk.

‘Cause after all man’s intellect and power
All you get is 650,000 hours
If you’re lucky then you’re dead
Says the voice inside my head
Keeps me moving on
Keeps me singing these songs

It’s in the lyrics:

Categories
Food History Holidays Life Music Travel

Saturday Night Retro

My first ever trip to New England this past week reminded me of some of the fun times that I enjoyed as a kid growing up in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs  surrounding Washington D.C. That vibe – that feeling – that weather this past week up in Western Massachusetts – or as the natives refer to it – ‘West Mass’. It reminded me of a simpler time from an era not so long forgotten. It was a long time ago, but the vivid memories are still there for me to cherish in their own special way. We spent several Summers for a few days or a week at a time over at the popular seaside resort of Ocean City Maryland. I remember the sights of the town, the smells of the sea, and the tastes of the food permeating all up and down the boardwalk. I haven’t been there in about 30 years, but I think that I will check out the place sometime soon on a future vacation. I can easily spend a bunch of days and nights having a lot of fun along that three-mile stretch of boardwalk, so what am I waiting for ?

Here’s a cool tune from that fun era that’s all about a sun-drenched seaside place such as Ocean City Maryland. Musician Jay Ferguson fondly looks back at his “Thunder Island”. He recorded the track right here in our own seaside resort of Miami Florida back in 1977. Enjoy the ‘Retro’ !

Categories
God Life Music

My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics

It’s the 13TH of June, and Summer is here. It’s hot and humid outside in most parts of the free nation, and the days are long while the nights are short. It’s time to get things done, and it’s time to relax at home or in an exotic land far far away. In whatever you do and whereever you go this Summer be safe and have a lot of fun. Take care of each other out there. Spread Love – not hate. There’s enough hate out there to go around, but there’s not nearly enough Love for all. You and I are the cure for that epidemic.

Make this a memorable Summer for all of the right reasons. Make this a Summer that you can fondly look back on 5 years from now – or 25 years from now. Make this a Summer that you can talk to your children and grandchildren about. Make this a Summer to remember.

For me it’s gonna be real hard topping the Summer of 2006. That’s when I accepted Jesus Christ as my ultimate Lord and Saviour. Talk about a Summer to remember (and I will always do so) !  46 months and 4 Summers later – this ‘Fantastic Journey’ continues to progress forward closer and closer to the ultimate destination, and I am totally on-board.

I Love You Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
O my soul rejoice !
Take joy my King
In what You hear
May it be a sweet sweet sound in Your ear

It’s in the lyrics:

Categories
Career Driving History Life Music Travel

Saturday Night Retro

On this exact date I’m celebrating my remarkable 25TH silver anniversary in the United States Air Force. Back on the 12TH of June of 1985 – a mere 6 days after my high school graduation and just a week removed from my 18TH birthday – I made my way via cars, buses, planes, trains, and shuttles from Northern Virginia (Fairfax County) to San Antonio Texas (Lackland Air Force Base) to enter Air Force Basic Military Training. It was the most grueling six-and-a-half-weeks of my entire life – then and now. I arrived as a boy. I departed as a man.

I’d do it all over again. It was the very start of a long and rewarding military and civilian career, and I am most greatful.

Fast forward 5 years later … 20 years ago this Summer I enjoyed the greatest, the wildest, and the craziest time of my life. I drove up to Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City for two weeks of Aircraft Maintenance Systems Database Management school. I remember next to nothing about the actual school, but I remember a LOT about the fun that I enjoyed after school. Me and a buddy from class totally rocked our faces off on the beach at neighbouring Spinnaker Beach Club and Club LaVela. We partied hard – every night. We agreed that it was our own personal Woodstock Music Festival – 21 years later. It was the mother-of-all college spring breaks big and small all rolled up into one giant blur. Of course all of this occurred several years before Panama City Beach was eventually discovered as the North American continental mecca for Spring Break.

What a total blast it was. It was the greatest most outrageous two weeks of my entire military career exploring Tyndall AFB, Parker, Callaway, Springfield, Cedar Grove, Panama City, Panama City Beach, and the scenic U.S. Highway 98 corridor through the region in my red 1989 Geo Spectrum. If I could do it all over again – I would NOT. I simply could not survive another two weeks like that again, and it’s quite simply incompatible with my current new Life. I just have the memories to look back on, and sometimes that’s more than enough.

Here’s a hard rockin’ smash that took the free nation by storm back during that memorable Summer of 1990. It’s laughed upon today as cheesy sugar-coated hair-metal-pop, but back then it was the signature rock song of my two weeks on the white hot sandy beaches of Panama City. It’s twin bros Matthew and Gunnar Nelson with their megasmash “(I Can’t Live Without Your) Love And Affection”. It’s ‘Retro’ from my ‘Summer Of Fun’ in 1990. You know it !