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1980s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1986

Every Friday 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, 25, 30, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 35 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday June 29TH 1986:

  1. “Edge Of Heaven” – Wham!
  2. “New Beginning” – Bucks Fizz
  3. “Sun Street” – Katrina And The Waves
  4. “Nasty” – Janet Jackson
  5. “Mountains” – Prince And The Revolution

I estimate that I’ve attended over 150 concerts in my entire lifetime. I attended 17 during a less-than-17-month stretch over in England in 1986 and 1987 when I lived there. I’ve attended at least 88 since 2000. I have no record-keeping of my concerts and other live events from 1988 to 1999, but I estimate about 4 per year. 

I came of age into the concert scene 3 weeks after turning 19. My very first concert – the final Wham! concert at Wembley Stadium in London England. It was an 8-hour Saturday event. Gates opened at 2 PM, and the show started about 2 hours later with a few opening acts and special guests making appearances. It was a hot and steamy late-June afternoon and evening in a packed stadium in London, and I was a singing and dancing (and sweating) maniac during the entire show from start to finish.

After the show was done and over with, and me and my concert buddy were heading home on the M4 I asked him “What’s our next concert, and when is it ?”

(The eventual answer was “The Art Of Noise” on August 15TH 1986.)

Reaching # 2 on my chart exactly 35 years ago was the lavishly-produced HI-NRG “New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)” from Bucks Fizz. Despite its more European (continental) sound it was only a hit in their native United Kingdom and nearby Ireland, Belgium, and The Netherlands.

Here’s the music video for “New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)”. To my Christian brothers and sisters of today this is a “feel good” positive and encouraging song that speaks of hope and love in a new world. There is a gospel choir performing back-up vocals. Feel free to get up and dance !

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) 2021 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Blogging Driving Food Movies Nature Photography Travel Weather

My Summer Vacation 2021 Road-Trip

It’s Part 3 of my multi-part Thursday blog series on my recent 77-hour / (4-day / 3-night) / 472-mile road-trip spanning Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee Counties (in that order). It was my first extended visit ever along Florida’s Treasure Coast. While there I was always within about 5 miles of the Atlantic Ocean and the adjacent Indian River.

Last Thursday we left off at the Elliott Museum on the barrier island off the coast of Stuart known as South Hutchinson Island. From there I headed north along Florida’s scenic State Road A1A. I soon entered St. Lucie County, and once I reached the Fort Pierce Inlet I headed inland (along A1A since there is no bridge over the Inlet). In downtown Fort Pierce A1A and U.S. 1 share a concurrency for a little over a mile. A1A then heads back out to sea to the barrier island on the other side of the Inlet. I stayed on U.S. 1, and I took that most of the way up to Vero Beach – my hotel destination for 3 nights. Once I entered the city limits of Vero Beach I believe that it was the first time in my life that I had done so – as a 33½-year resident of South Florida.

After I checked-in to my hotel and room I walked over to the nearby Bonefish Grill. I got there a few minutes before they opened for the day at 3 PM. I was not only their first customer of the day, but I was their only customer during my entire meal ! The service was great, and the food was great. I think I’ve eaten at Bonefish Grill once or twice before in my life (while on vacation). There’s actually one about 18 miles from home, but I’ve never been to that one. (I should visit sometime. They are actually open for Lunch.)

After my early dinner I drove over to the local movie theatre in town to see “A Quiet Place Part II“. It was my first movie seen in a movie theatre in 2021. I saw 3 last year in 2020. During much of the 2010s I was averaging about 35 movies per year !

After the movie I headed over to South Beach Park (a city park) on the Atlantic Ocean. When I got there at about 6:35 PM I noticed that lots of people were leaving the beach and heading for their vehicles. I was the only person getting out of his car and heading towards the beach. Once I arrived surfside I realized why everyone was abandoning the scene – including the lifeguards. A raging thunderstorm was quickly blowing in from the sea. I took a few photos of the darkened sky, and I too headed back to my vehicle. I drove back to my hotel 2½ miles inland. It was starting to rain lightly as I walked inside my hotel. As it turns out the thunderstorm was a complete bust. It pretty much fell apart as it swept inland, and only light rain fell from it for a few minutes. I should have stayed in my car at the beach until the storm passed, and then enjoyed the beach after.

That’s the end of Day 1 of my road-trip adventures. That was Wednesday June 02ND 2021, and I drove 203 miles on that day. I’ll present Part 4 for you next Thursday, and we’ll head back over to the barrier island, and we’ll visit some fun places on both sides of A1A and U.S. 1 in the Fort Pierce area.

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

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 227

Every Monday I post my all-new Top 10 Christian hit music chart based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from the previous week. It’s the continuation of a weekly hobby that goes back 40+ years. Here’s this week’s chart:

COUNTUP MINISTRIES FOR THE WEEK ENDING SUNDAY JUNE 20TH 2021 WEEK 227
TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 2 7 Yes He Can
[1ST week @ # 1]		 Cain
2 1 15 Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight) TobyMac
3 4 22 Fires Jordan St. Cyr
4 3 4 When We Fall Apart Ryan Stevenson Ft. Vince Gill & Amy Grant
5 6 3 Under Grace Tauren Wells Ft. Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts
6 7 4 Be Alright Evan Craft X Danny Gokey X Redimi2
7 8 11 Gospel Song Rhett Walker
8 9 13 Child Of Love We The Kingdom Ft. Bear Rinehart
9 10 2 Rattle ! Elevation Worship
10 – 1 Believe For It CeCe Winans

# 1 This Week In:
2020 – “I Will Fear No More” – The Afters
2019 – “Church (Take Me Back)” – Cochren & Co.
2018 – “Do It Again” – Elevation Worship
2017 – “Home” – Chris Tomlin

Cain ascends to # 1 this week with their 2ND consecutive chart-topper – “Yes He Can”. It’s my 61ST # 1 smash of this current era of the past 227 weeks. It’s their follow-up to their debut smash – and winner of the K-LOVE Fan Award for “Breakout Single” – “Rise Up (Lazarus)”. That was my 53RD # 1 smash last October.

Here’s the official music video for “Yes He Can”:

Further down my chart this week “Fires” by Jordan St. Cyr is the sleeper smash of 2021 and possibly the eventual # 1 smash of the entire year. It debuted quietly back in late-January, and it spent its first 5 weeks at # 8 or below. Since then it’s spent 3 weeks at # 1, 4 weeks at # 2, and 6 weeks at # 3.

CeCe Winans enters my chart for the very first time with her current radio hit “Believe For It”. It’s approaching the Top 10 nationally at U.S. Christian radio. It’s the title track of her first LIVE album – released this past March.

This blog is # 43 worldwide on the Top 60 Christian Music Blogs and Websites in 2021 chart. Thank You for including us Feedspot !

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) 2021 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday June 20TH 2021, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate our fathers on this Father’s Day – as well as our almighty Father in Heaven.

This past Friday I finished writing my sermon on “Salvation & Hope”. It actually plays out as a tribute to the Reverend Billy Graham and the work that he did for God at his many crusades around the world. My Pastor preached an hour-long-plus sermon last Sunday on his personal experiences with Oral Roberts.

I also wrote about the start of my salvation 15 years ago this August. This sermon serves as my first of many from my new message series on the Apostle Peter’s two letters to Christians scattered throughout the Roman Empire from Rome in the west to Jerusalem in the east. It covers 1 Peter 1:3-12.

All praise to God – the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again – because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance – an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you – pure and undefiled – beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith – God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation – which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. (1 Peter 1:3-5)

I now have two full sermons to pray about and select from when I’m asked to preach again to my church family. (The other is my sermon on the good Kings Uzziah and Jotham of Judah.) Only one thing to do now: Start writing a new sermon based on 1 Peter 1:13-21.

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