Category: Scripture

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Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday October 24TH 2021, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

I’ve returned home from another Florida road-trip. It was a short one – spanning less than 50 hours, but 563 miles on the road. I’ll write about that trip coming-up this #TravelThursday, but for this #SundayScripture it’s the reason for the trip.

I attended 2 LIVE concerts in a row on Thursday and Friday nights.

In Tampa on Thursday I saw MercyMe for the 4TH time – and for the 3RD year in a row. They were amazing as always. They are my # 2 artist overall during this current era of my weekly hit music chart with more weeks at # 1 – 22 – than any other artist. They performed 20 of their hits – including a few new ones off their new album – “inhale (exhale)”. And YES – we ended with the “Happy Dance” under a heavy shower of confetti. Opening for MercyMe were Micah Tyler and Sam Wesley. I saw Micah for the 2ND time – both times in Tampa – and both times opening for MercyMe. Micah is currently my # 8 artist of this current era with 2 # 1 hits. Sam Wesley is actually Sam Wesley Millard – Bart Millard’s 19-year-son. (I’ll have more on Bart and his son Sam tomorrow on #Top10Monday.)

In Estero (Southwest Florida) on Friday I saw Casting Crowns for the 2ND time. I saw them for the 1ST time in November 2019, and 2 months later I decided that I wanted to see them again, so I got my ticket for their April 2020 show. Well you know what happened then. We were all in COVID-19 lockdown. It was rescheduled for October 2020, and then it was postponed again to nearly a year (51 weeks) later. So I waited 21 months for this show, and it lived-up to its long wait. It was good to see Pastor Mark Hall again lead his band. I think the entire band are worship leaders at various churches around the Atlanta Georgia area. Mark’s messages as Pastor become Casting Crowns songs. They are my # 15 artist of this current era with 3 # 1 hits spending a combined 18 weeks atop my weekly hit music chart.

Opening for Casting Crowns is my # 1 artist of this current era – the amusing, energetic, and talented Matthew West. It was my 1ST concert of his, and there will be more. He’s got a catalog of no less than 30 big radio hits over the past nearly 20 years, and he performed 10 of them for us. He also performed his funny COVID-19 pandemic anthem – “Quarantine Life”. Matthew returned near the end of Casting Crowns’ set to perform “Nobody (But Jesus)” with the band. (That’s my # 1 hit of this current era – out of 229 hits over the past 245 weeks.)

I didn’t know any of these artists up until February 2017 when I “turned the dial” on the radio in my car (for a 2ND time), and I discovered K-LOVE. The 1ST time I did that was in August 2006 when I discovered The Call – a local Miami Florida-based Christian rock, pop, and hip hop station. That discovery led to my salvation in Christ. I was born again.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. Tomorrow it’s #Top10Monday, as I present my personal Top 10 hits this week that honor our God Almighty on the radio.

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2021 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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Blogging Career Military Music Photography Scripture Sports Travel

Tampa Florida

#TravelThursday continues, and in this edition we visit Tampa Florida.

Tampa is the actual big city – approaching 400,000 residents. It’s the 3RD biggest city in Florida after Jacksonville and Miami. Tampa Bay is the body of water adjacent to Tampa. The Greater Tampa Bay area is the metro area surrounding Tampa and Tampa Bay. Over 3 million residents live in the area, and that number surges past 4 million when outlying areas are included.

The Greater Tampa Bay area is home to the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the repeating Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning, and the World Series Runner-Up (last year) Tampa Bay Rays. #TitleTown

I like Tampa a lot. It’s my favorite big city in Florida. I like the way it looks (the downtown skyline), and I like all of the activities that can be done in and around Tampa – at both land and sea.

Last #TravelThursday I revealed that I embarked on the Carnival Miracle for a fun 7-day cruise out of Port Tampa Bay exactly 15 years ago. It’ll likely be my future port-of-choice after I retire and move closer to the Tampa Bay area.

I once lived in Tampa – for about 7 months from August 1993 to March 1994 – when I worked at MacDill Air Force Base. That was after Hurricane Andrew destroyed my previous workplace at Homestead Air Force Base as well as much of the surrounding region. For a few months at the beginning of that time-frame it appeared that I’d be living and working in Tampa for years to come, but then political decisions were made to rebuild and reopen the airbase at Homestead, and in March 1994 I moved back. I’ve been here ever since. I like to say that I’ve been here in Homestead for almost 34 years – except for those 19 months right after Hurricane Andrew.

Had the airbase at Homestead not been rebuilt and reopened I wonder how long I would have stayed living and working in Tampa, and would I still be there today. What would I be doing ?

I actually haven’t visited Tampa too many times since I left 27½ years ago. I mostly visit nowadays to attend music concerts and sporting events at the downtown arena (now known as the Amalie Arena). Very near the arena is The Florida Aquarium – the 8TH largest aquarium in the U.S. You can spend all day there enjoying that impressive facility. I was last there in May 2019.

On March 21ST and 22ND of 2003 me and my little brother stumbled onto (OK maybe it was a little bit intentional) the Spring Break scene on Clearwater Beach where we had a hotel room overlooking the Gulf Of Mexico. That was a couple of days after the Iraq War began. College kids were blaring the Outkast song “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” up and down South Gulfview Boulevard. Those 2 fun nights on the beach were part of a 5-day / 4-night vacation in the Tampa Bay area.

Join me next #TravelThursday as we remain in Tampa, and then venture southward along the Tamiami Trail.

They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. You can go to bed without fear. You will lie down and sleep soundly. You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. (Proverbs 3:23-26 NLT)

All rights reserved (c) 2021 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday October 17TH 2021, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

I’m coming up on my 15TH anniversary of being part of a church body. For a little over 8 years I was a member of a small church body that quickly grew into a large church body – one of the largest if not the largest here in my hometown. And then it lost perhaps 75% (or more) of its weekly attendance as quickly as it grew it – only to slowly grow it all back (and then some) over the subsequent years. It was quite the rollercoaster ride !

Fellowship and friendships formed and fizzled over those 8 years. It was quite heartbreaking to form bonds with my fellow Christ believers and followers only to have them leave the church for various reasons (mostly unknown). Some were friendships for a season. Some were friendships merely for a Sunday morning reason. A few were genuine friendships with strong foundations that are still active to this day.

I eventually left my first church body behind, and I’ve now been with my current church body for a little over 6½ years. It was a small church body when I arrived, and it’s a small church body to this day. In fact we’re very close to zero net growth over the past 6½ years, and that’s fine with me. Some churches relish in the numbers and focus on quantity over quality and programs over prophecy. My church does not do that. We have a very strong church body of believers and followers of Christ, and we come together corporately in our small traditional church building every Sunday morning to celebrate God. Everybody knows everybody in our church body, and we genuinely love each other. There are no quarrels, and there are no cliques among us. Sermons are based on Scripture.

I’ll eventually move on from my current church body when I retire from my professional career and move away from here about 3 hours away. My next church body will also be a small church body. God has convinced me that it is where I truly belong on this fantastic journey. He will determine what my place will be with my next church body. Will I be a regular attender, or a member, or part of church leadership ? Lead me God to where You want me to be. I will follow You.

“For I know the plans I have for you” – says the LORD. “They are plans for good, and not for disaster – to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray – I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly – you will find Me. (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT)

I hope that you’re connected to a Bible-believing church body if you are a believer and follower of Christ.

And let us not neglect our meeting together – as some people do, but encourage one another – especially now that the day of His return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:25 NLT)

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. Tomorrow it’s #Top10Monday, as I present my personal Top 10 hits this week that honor our God Almighty on the radio.

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2021 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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Blogging Photography Scripture Travel

Carnival Miracle

#TravelThursday continues, and in this edition we visit the Western Caribbean Sea aboard the Carnival Miracle – exactly 15 years ago this week.

The Carnival Miracle was a fairly-new cruise ship at the time – 2½-years-old. Nowadays she sails short 3, 4, and 5-day cruises between Los Angeles (Long Beach) California and Baja Mexico.

I was on the Miracle from 08 to 15 October 2006 out of the Port Of Tampa. It was my 10TH cruise overall and 5TH on Carnival. It was also my only cruise out of Tampa; although, that will likely change in the future as I move closer to Tampa than Miami in the next few years (post-retirement).

Our ports-of-call were Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize (first-time ever), and Costa Maya (first-time ever).

Costa Maya is located on the south coast of the state of Quintana Roo on the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico – less than a 2-hour drive to the northern border of Belize. It’s a popular cruise ship port that was fairly-new back in 2006. I remember getting off the ship, walking around the small beach and pool area right at the debarkation point of the pier, and then within the hour getting back on the ship. (There’s likely much more to do there nowadays than there was 15 years ago.)

10 months after my visit to Costa Maya Hurricane Dean destroyed much of the cruise ship port (and region including Belize). It was one of the most intense hurricanes to make landfall anywhere along the Atlantic basin during the modern tracking era. It was a Category-5 with maximum sustained winds of 175 MPH and gusts over 200 MPH at landfall !

I have not been back to Costa Maya since 15 years ago (October 13TH 2006). I’m interested to see what it looks like today via a future cruise.

Here’s a rare picture of me posing along the rocky coastline of our first port-of-call – Grand Cayman.

Join me next #TravelThursday as we visit another location on the face of this earth.

They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. You can go to bed without fear. You will lie down and sleep soundly. You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. (Proverbs 3:23-26 NLT)

All rights reserved (c) 2021 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries