Categories
Blogging Driving Food Geography History Travel

The Ringling

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. A couple of months ago I visited The Ringling estate in Sarasota Florida. It was another field trip with the Sebring Historical Society – the group that I serve with. I was with a group of about 30.

Our chartered bus departed from the parking lot of our museum at 8:43 AM. The drive to the Gulf Coast took a little less than 2 hours. Our first stop in Sarasota was Der Dutchman – a large Amish-style restaurant, bakery, and gift shop. At the restaurant you can either order off the menu or enjoy the buffet. (Our “all-inclusive” trip included the buffet.) We arrived there as Breakfast was wrapping-up and Lunch was just getting started. Some in our group enjoyed a late-Breakfast. I enjoyed a hearty Lunch. It was all good. I think my favorite dish was their slow-cooked old-fashioned Roast Beef. It was quite delicious and juicy. We spent over 2 hours there eating, browsing, and shopping.

Our next stop was the Ringling estate. We spent 3 hours there, and our group pretty much split-up to tour the museums and grounds at our own individual paces. I visited much of the estate to include both circus museums and Ca’ d’Zan (“House of John” in Venetian) – John and Mable Ringling’s personal residence (built from 1924 to 1926) overlooking Sarasota Bay.

My favorite part of the circus museum was the 38,000-square-foot / 42,000+ piece miniature circus display that was essentially a ¾-inch-to-the-foot scale (1:16) model of a typical 24-hour day in the life of the Ringling Brothers And Barnum & Bailey Circus during the 1920s and 1930s. I think that was probably my favorite part of the entire estate. I did a walkthrough at the beginning of my visit, but there were so many other people doing the same thing that I couldn’t fully enjoy it, so I returned a couple of hours later to check it all out again in greater detail with far less people around. Circus fan Howard Charles Tibbals designed and built the model from 1956 to 1974 (age 20 to 38). It premiered at the World’s Fair in Knoxville Tennessee in 1982. He set it up at its current location at the museum in 2004 and 2005. What an amazing accomplishment to build that miniature circus !

We got back to Sebring after 6 PM. It was a fun day out with my historical society friends. It was revealed that our next field trip will be in just a couple of weeks – a 4-hour St. Johns River cruise out of Sanford Florida with a big multi-course lunch and a comedy play. I’m looking forward to it !

Next #TravelThursday – What do Sebring Florida and Chattanooga Tennessee have in common ? Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 386

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 over 45 years. Here’s this week’s chart – for the week ending Sunday July 07TH 2024 – the 386TH week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 2 11 Somebody Like Me
[1ST week @ # 1]		 Caleb & John Ft. Cain
2 1 9 Beautiful Life Pat Barrett
3 6 5 Take You At Your Word Cody Carnes
4 5 11 The Prodigal Josiah Queen
5 10 2 Good Day Forrest Frank
6 7 31 Lead On Good Shepherd Patrick Mayberry
7 3 7 God Is With Us The Afters
8 4 6 Strongholds Chris Tomlin
9 9 3 Miracle Child Brandon Lake
10 – 1 Nothin’ Sweeter TobyMac

# 1 This Week In:
2023 – “Holy Forever” – Chris Tomlin
2022 – “Getting Started” – Jeremy Camp
2021 – “Yes He Can” – Cain
2020 – “Keep Me In The Moment” – Jeremy Camp
2019 – “Church (Take Me Back)” – Cochren & Co.
2018 – “Do It Again” – Elevation Worship
2017 – “The Comeback” – Danny Gokey

CALEB & JOHN & MADISON & TAYLOR & LOGAN – Their collaboration of “Somebody Like Me” ascends to the mountaintop of my chart this week – becoming my 101ST # 1 smash of the current era. Just as Cain did with their first 2 radio songs – Caleb & John have now hit # 1 with their first 2 radio songs as well. (Cain is credited with their 3RD # 1.)

SUMMER OF 2024 – This is Week 7 of our 15-week Summer (starting with Memorial Day Weekend and ending with Labor Day Weekend here in the U.S.A.). As is tradition here on #CountUp – I’ll present “My Top 10 Hits” of the Summer after it’s over. It’ll publish on Wednesday September 04TH 2024. So far – Pat Barrett’s “Beautiful Life” is # 1 for the Summer, but that could change soon.

SPOTIFY – You can hear “My Top 10 Hits” anytime simply by accessing my CountUp playlist on Spotify. All 10 hits are there from top to bottom. You can hear them in order from # 1 to # 10, or you can shuffle them. My playlist will be updated every weekend (usually before the actual chart is presented here on Mondays). You can link to it here.

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. God used loud music on the radio to reach me in August of 2006. I’ve been testifying about Him ever since.

Be blessed my friends !  May our 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) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday July 07TH 2024, 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. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

I continue to write my next sermon titled “Music & Lyrics”. It’s about half-done on paper. I’ve got some ideas floating around in my mind for my next sermon after that. It may be an Old Testament-based message. I may start writing it before I complete my ongoing sermon. I’ve discovered in the past that writing two sermons simultaneously actually enhance each other. I love how God leads me down these winding roads on this journey.

Since the start of April and for the next couple of months – I’m presenting the full transcription of my recent Jude message series consisting of two sermons – “Jude & Judgment” (Verses 1-11), and “Jude & Jury” (Verses 12-25). I preached them to my Homestead Florida church family on November 26TH 2023 and December 03RD 2023 respectively. Links are provided for Parts 1 to 8 of “Jude & Judgment” over on my SERMONS page. (It’s Sermon 56.) Here’s Part 4 of “Jude & Jury”:

[CONTINUE SERMON]

“The Lord is coming … to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” These people are grumblers and complainers – living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want. (Jude 15-16)

See that’s who the enemy uses to deceive us. Marge – you know these people. Judy – you know these people. Some may even be your “friends”. Some are my coworkers. They are grumblers and complainers. They are only happy – when they get their way – which is probably not your way – or God’s way. They don’t care about your way – or God’s way. They are braggers. It’s all about themselves. As the Scriptures say – “If you want to boast – boast only about the LORD.” (2 Corinthians 10:17)

They are flatterers – to get what they want – in any way possible. Don’t fall for them. Don’t be like them. You’ve come a long way on this journey. Remember the way that you used to be ? – back before you knew Christ ? I remember that person that I used to be. That was just over 17 years ago.

But you don’t have to go that far back to your pre-salvation life. Don’t be like the person that you were last year – or the year before that. You’re closer to God now than you were back then. You know more about Him now than you did back then.

In fact – don’t even be like the person that you were yesterday. Where you’re going tomorrow – is not where you are today. Our God has plans for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster – to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11b)

So Jude warns his readers (that includes us – we’re reading his letter in the Bible). He warns of these dangerous false teachers who lurk all around us – in the darkness and in the light. And then Jude gives us some good advice:

But you – dear friends – must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ – who will bring you eternal life. In this way – you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution – hating the sins that contaminate their lives. (Jude 20-23)

That is very good advice right there. That is Godly advice right there. We must build each other up instead of tear each other down. You know it’s easier to tear someone down rather than build them up. God doesn’t want us to do what’s easy. The world teaches us how to tear someone down. I mean just look around. We tear each other down – out there in public – and especially online on social media. But our loving God – He teaches us how to build someone up. When you build someone up – you show them your love, and that’s God’s love. When you build someone up – you build-up God’s Kingdom. When you build someone up – you may be saving their life. You may be rescuing them from the flames of judgment.

[TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK]

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord, and get closer to Him with each new day.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

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) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Blogging Driving Geography History Holidays Home Travel

Happy 248TH Birthday America

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I wrote about the 17TH day of my April retirement road-trip – returning here to my home state of Florida. And I wrote about the 18TH and final day – westward and southward away from Yulee along Florida State Road 200, and onto U.S. 301, U.S. 441, Florida State Road 33, a series of old narrow backroads in northern Polk County (following Google Maps), and back to U.S. 27 and the Heartland of Florida.

The purpose of this road-trip was to see America, and I saw a good part of her on this 18-day, 7-state, and 2,807-mile excursion across our southern states – northwestward from Florida to Alabama to Mississippi to Louisiana to Texas – and then southeastward from Texas to Arkansas to Mississippi to Alabama to Georgia to Florida.

Out of 2,807 miles – only 186 miles were via the Interstate Highway System. It was the rural portion of I-10 in the Florida Panhandle and into South Alabama – 149½ miles from west of Tallahassee to east of Pensacola, and 36½ miles from west of Pensacola to east of Mobile. Much of my route occurred on U.S. 98, U.S. 84, and U.S. 82 – old U.S. highways – the way we used to see America before the Interstates came into existence.

I drove 1,216 miles during the first 5 days of my road-trip, and that took me to Wylie Texas – where I spent 8 days and nights with my family. I didn’t drive at all for 7 days in a row.

I drove 1,591 miles during the final 6 days of my road-trip from Wichita Falls Texas (the northernmost and westernmost point) back home to Florida.

The most miles driven in a single day occurred on Day 14 when I drove 366 miles from Wichita Falls to El Dorado Arkansas. The next day came in 3RD place – 348 miles from El Dorado to Tuscaloosa Alabama. That’s 714 miles in 2 days. Over the course of 11 actual days of driving – I averaged 255 miles per day.

I filled-up with gas 7 times on this road-trip, and I paid anywhere from $2.899 to $3.499 per gallon at the pump (before credit card discounts). I averaged over 45 MPG.

For many years I imagined (and talked with friends about) a 100-day / 10,000-mile retirement road-trip clockwise around the circumference of the U.S.A. – from Florida to Texas to California to Washington – across the northern tier states – over to Maine – and then down the Eastern Seaboard back to Florida. This wasn’t that trip, but it was at least a quarter of that trip. By keeping mostly to old U.S. highways – and some state, county, and local roads – I saw America, and she is beautiful. Each state that I visited had its own unique charm and identity to it. I obviously love my home state of Florida for everything that she has to offer and for everything that she has done for me over the past 36+ years. I definitely need to spend more time in and see more of Mississippi and Alabama – even if I don’t drive all the way to Texas. And I’ve got Georgia on my mind too. I want to explore your historic seaside towns – especially Savannah.

#ArkLaTex & #ArkLaMiss – I learned of those two terms while in South Arkansas. It was fun to see more of Arkansas than ever before in my life. I liked what I saw from Texarkana to the Mississippi River, and now I want to see more. Maybe even your mountains upstate.

I visited a lot of great historical museums along the way, and I met and talked with a lot of fellow docents serving at these museums – preserving, protecting, and promoting the history around them. I saw a lot of good, and a little not-so-good at these museums. These were all lessons learned as I continue working with some of my local museums.

This is the 13TH and final part of my look-back at my April retirement road-trip. I wrote all of it during the month of April and into the first couple of days of May – while my mind was still fresh from the trip. It was fun planning the trip, and then doing the trip, and then writing about the trip during and after it. But I’m just getting started. Now that I’m in the retirement chapter of my life – I hope to spend more time seeing America – by road – by rail – and perhaps – maybe even by Mississippi River cruise. America – you look great at 248 !

Next #TravelThursday – Let’s join the circus ! Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2024 Christopher M. Day, CountUp