Categories
1990s Music Radio

The Major’s Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1998

  1. Amnesia – Chumbawamba
  2. Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) – The Backstreet Boys
  3. This Is How We Party – S.O.A.P.
  4. Superhero (Lover) – Daze
  5. Sex And Candy – Marcy Playground

These were my Top 5 hits exactly 20 years ago this weekend – Sunday April 19TH 1998.

As a not quite 31-year-old I was clearly in to the HI-NRG pop-party bar scene back then. In fact Downtown Disney Pleasure Island (Florida) was one of my favorite places to hang out at the time.

I’ve been producing my own personal weekly hit music chart off and on for the past 30+ years. In 2 weeks on Friday May 04TH I’ll go back another 10 years to the 1ST weekend of May of 1988.

This blog is going on hiatus for a little over a week. I’ll be back in 10 days on Monday April 30TH 2018 with my brand new Top 10 music chart. We’ll see if Austin French can hold on to the # 1 spot.

Categories
Bible Christian God Health Scripture

Drinking & Smoking

Nearly 6 months ago I celebrated 10 years of sobriety. I quit drinking alcohol during the middle of a 14-day transatlantic cruise on the Carnival Freedom (its maiden voyage to the U.S.A. from Europe). I drank for about 22 years. I was mostly a binge drinker in that I could go days, weeks, and even months without drinking a drop of alcohol, but then I’d make up for it all at once – usually while on vacation somewhere. I asked God for His help – His intervention in this area of my life. He came through for me – just as He always does.

In a few days – on the 22ND of April – I’ll mark 10 years of being smoke-free. I quit smoking after over 30 years. I smoked cigarettes from age 11 to almost age 41. I tried quitting a few times previously, but it didn’t work out for me. Quitting smoking was far more difficult than quitting drinking. Yet again I asked God for His help, and I relied on Him in freeing me from yet another addiction. Yet again He was wildly successful. He is always successful. He never lets me down. His promises are genuine. His miracles are abundant.

I quit drinking 14 months into my salvation, and I quit smoking 20 months into my salvation. God said, “Come as you are”, and I did. Whatever addictions you may have. Ask God for His intervention. Believe that He will free you from those chains.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit – who lives in you and was given to you by God ?  You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT)

Categories
Christian God Music Radio

The Major’s Top 10 Hits – Week 61

  1. “Freedom Hymn” – Austin French [# 1 last week / 4TH week on chart]
  2. “I Just Need U.” – TobyMac [2 / 4TH]
  3. “What A Friend” – Matt Maher [5 / 4TH]
  4. “Grace Got You” – MercyMe [4 / 2ND]
  5. “No Matter What” – Ryan Stevenson Ft. Bart Millard [7 / 2ND]
  6. “No One Like Our God” – Lincoln Brewster [3 / 14TH]
  7. “Gracefully Broken” – Matt Redman Ft. Tasha Cobbs Leonard [6 / 18TH]
  8. “Come To The Table” – Sidewalk Prophets [8 / 11TH]
  9. “Resurrection Power” – Chris Tomlin [9 / 10TH]
  10. “Walking On Water” – NeedToBreathe [- / 1ST]

NeedToBreathe hold this week’s lone new entry at # 10. It’s their 3RD hit on this chart in a little over a year. “Testify” spent 4 weeks at # 2 last March and April. They followed that up with “Hard Love” which spent 5 weeks at # 2 – and a single week at # 1 in August.

This Saturday night I’ll be praising and worshiping God with thousands of my brothers and sisters in Christ at “Worship Night In America” at the BB&T Center in Sunrise Florida. Chris Tomlin is the headliner, and supporting him will be Kim Walker-Smith of Jesus Culture, Matt Maher, Christine D’Clario, Tauren Wells, and Pat Barrett of Housefires. I’ve got an excellent floor seat waiting for me just 11 rows from the middle of the stage. (I bought my ticket over 3 months ago.) I’ll be singing and dancing all night long !

This Top 10 chart will continue on, and the next time you see it online will be 2 weeks from tonight on Monday April 30TH 2018. I’ll tell you all about the concert then !

Categories
Bible Christian God History Ministry People Radio Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Earlier this week I stated that I attended the Greater Miami Youth For Christ annual fundraising dinner after church service last Sunday.

Today following our Lead Pastor’s sermon I talked about a young man by the name of Billy. He was a young Pastor in his early-to-mid-20s serving at a small Baptist church in the far-western suburbs of Chicago. His friend was the Founder of a local Youth For Christ movement in Chicago, and he himself was a fellow Baptist Pastor. One Sunday he came to the suburbs to see his friend Billy preach. He was impressed with what he saw and heard. He asked Billy if he’d be interested in hosting a radio show in Chicago. Billy accepted, and thousands heard his messages on the radio.

Billy was asked to kick-off the first night of the Youth For Christ meetings in Chicagoland. He accepted. Billy served as the first full-time evangelist of the Youth For Christ ministry. He eventually became the first Vice President – with his friend the Founder as President – of Youth For Christ International – which was established in 1946.

The Founder – in his mid-30s at the time – could’ve had any famous preacher from the big city to move Youth For Christ forward to the next level, but he wanted to work with a small circle of younger ministers who shared his vision and truly understood the youth of the day. These young ministers were all born and raised Chicago men – except Billy – from the western mountains of North Carolina. The Founder was totally convinced that there was no one better than Billy to deliver the message of God’s Good News to the youth of the day.

Billy is the Reverend Billy Graham. He held his first Crusade soon after in 1947.

When you are called on this fantastic journey – accept the calling – receive His gifts – and trust that God will lead you every step of the way as you fulfill the purpose that He has given you. God didn’t give us The Holy Spirit to do nothing with it. God gave us The Holy Spirit to change the world.

And then He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” (Mark 16:15 NLT)