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Texas Bound

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. The week before Thanksgiving (last Thursday here in the U.S.A.) was quite unusual for me for the simple fact that I was home at the time. For as long as I can remember – at least going back almost 20 years – I’ve always been in Texas or Ohio (where my family lives or used to live) during the week leading-up to Thanksgiving. And then on the day after Thanksgiving – known as #BlackFriday – that’s the day that I usually flew back home (or began my journey driving back home).

I usually arrived in Texas or Ohio on the Wednesday or Thursday of the week prior to Thanksgiving. Some years I arrived even earlier than that. Just 4 years ago in 2021 I departed South Florida for North Texas on November 11TH (Veterans Day), and I arrived in North Texas 2 days later on November 13TH – staying there for 13 nights. (That was a fun 2,822-mile road-trip that was documented here on #TravelThursday.)

I don’t think I’ll be driving to Texas ever again. (My last such trip was in April 2024.) I’m terrified of driving on Interstates, Turnpikes, Expressways, and Freeways – basically any high-speed highway with off-ramps, on-ramps, and merging lanes. So I pretty much avoid them completely. It’s a condition known as “amaxophobia”. I have a mild case of it. It’s been gradually progressing over the past 30 years. I’m certainly not afraid of driving my car, and I do just fine on backroads and surface streets. I’m even comfortable (for the most part) on U.S. 27 in Sebring and Avon Park. #IYKYK

If I do decide to take perhaps one last road-trip to and from North Texas then it’ll be via old U.S. highways and state and county roads – much like my April 2024 road-trip.

Fun Fact: Thanksgiving Day occurs on the 4TH Thursday of November here in the U.S.A. It can occur as early as November 22ND – and as late as November 28TH. This year it was on November 27TH. #BlackFriday is the day after, and it’s the official start of the Christmas shopping season; although, many Americans like to get started well before that – even in September and October. Most major stores are happy to accommodate.

So earlier this year – me and my brother decided to continue our family’s #ThanksChristmasGiving tradition where we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas simultaneously. But my brother wanted to add a new wrinkle to it. Instead of me flying in 7 or 8 days before Thanksgiving Day – fly in the night before Thanksgiving Day – and then stay through the first week of December. I think my brother’s rationale was that we would have more time to have fun (shopping, eating, seeing movies, etc.) without his daughters / my nieces getting in the way, as they will be back to school during that first week of December.

Good idea, and so I purchased my round-trip airfare back on August 05TH. 113 days later – I was on my way from home to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (#SRQ).

Thanksgiving Eve traffic westward into the Sarasota-Bradenton area was reasonable – not any busier than past such trips into Florida Gulf Coast suburbia. In fact – the airport itself was noticeably less-busier than I’ve seen it before. But parking was packed like sardines. Long-Term Parking and all of the various overflow parking lots were full and closed. Incoming traffic (for parking) was diverted through and then off airport property, onto adjacent U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail), and then back onto the far-western edge of airport property to a temporary (occasional) parking lot near the control tower. (Most travelers had obviously flown out of #SRQ for Thanksgiving already.) The good news is that a reduced fare of $14 per day is charged at that temporary parking lot that’s only utilized when main parking lots are full and closed.

I wonder if my car will be the last one remaining in that lot when I return ?

A shuttle took us to the airport terminal about a mile away. I processed my baggage tag at a kiosk. I dropped-off my baggage at the counter. I made it through TSA PreCheck with no issues. I was at my gate almost 3 hours before departure time.

Incidentally – Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (#SRQ) is my favorite airport in Florida for so many reasons, and one of them is the music that they play (rather loudly) all throughout the terminal. They mostly play The Blend (SiriusXM). The music is so good that I don’t need to listen to the great music on my Spotify playlists with my AirPods.

I’ll board my flight to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (#DFW), and my Texas adventure will begin – on the next #TravelThursday. In fact – I’ll write about it for perhaps the next 10 weeks. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 459

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 almost 50 years. Here’s this week’s chart – for the week ending Sunday November 30TH 2025 – the 459TH week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 18 Can’t Steal My Joy
[9TH week @ # 1]
Josiah Queen X Brandon Lake
2 2 7 How Good It Is Chris Tomlin
3 3 8 Dusty Bibles Josiah Queen
4 4 5 Lift Me Up Blessing Offor
5 5 24 What An Awesome God Phil Wickham
6 6 25 Breakdown Andrew Ripp
7 7 4 World On Fire for King + Country Ft. Taylor Hill
8 8 13 Still Crowder
9 1 I Need You Jet Trouble
10 10 7 God Story Anne Wilson

# 1 This Week In:
2024 – “Do It Again” – Steven Curtis Chapman
2023 – “I Thank God” – Housefires Ft. JWLKRS Worship
2022 – “Ain’t Nobody” – Cody Carnes
2021 – “On Our Way” – MercyMe Ft. Sam Wesley
2020 – “Jericho” – Andrew Ripp
2019 – “Dead Man Walking” – Jeremy Camp
2018 – “Even Then” – Micah Tyler
2017 – “Control (Somehow You Want Me)” – Tenth Avenue North

JET TROUBLE – He’s James E. Troublefield IV, but he’s known professionally as Jet Trouble. He’s got his debut hit on my chart as “I Need You” finally enters my chart. It was actually released in July 2023, and after languishing for a couple of years – it’s now starting to make an impact at U.S. Christian Radio – particularly K-LOVE. He explains – “The song was born out of a cry to God after my dad was diagnosed with ALS and quickly went downhill in his battle with the disease before passing. I was easily going through the worst season of my life. I felt angry and confused and a lot of times my prayer time consisted of nothing more than, ‘God – I need you'”. 

ONE-HIT WONDERVertical Worship had a big hit from August to November of 2019 with “Yes I Will”. It peaked at # 3 and spent 12 weeks on my chart. We sang it many times during Praise + Worship at my home church at the time. Vertical Worship are the Praise + Worship band at Harvest Bible Chapel in the Chicago area.

SPOTIFY – You can hear “My Top 10 Hits” anytime 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 in South Florida 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) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday November 30TH 2025, 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.

Tonight marks my 38TH anniversary as a Florida resident. I arrived at Homestead AFB as a 20½ year old during the early-morning hours of December 01ST 1987. I lived near or in Homestead for the next 35 years (aside from 19 months after Hurricane Andrew). I’ve lived near Sebring for the past (almost) 3 years. It’s my forever home.

This also marks the 18TH anniversary of the arrival of this blog here on the WordPress platform. It moved here from Myspace. Aside from a 7-year hiatus when this blog was on Twitter and Facebook – it’s been here ever since. I brought this blog back to its original home almost 8 years ago – where it has thrived. Next #SundayScripture is the 1,500TH blog post since its resurrection here on WordPress in January 2018. (That includes #TravelThursday and #MusicMonday posts.)

I’m in Wylie Texas this morning. We’ll be headed over to Northplace Church in Sachse later. It’ll be the first time in my entire life that I’ll attend a non-denominational church service with my family.

5 weeks ago I began transcribing my sermon titled “Apostle & Elder”. I preached it to my second church family on Sunday October 18TH 2020.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5

Here’s Part 6:

And so John writes to us in his letter that if a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body – (then) that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus – (then) that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist – which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. (1 John 4:2b-3)

Jesus Christ came in a real body. God became flesh in Christ. He is both fully man and He is fully God. He is the Christ. He is the Son of God.

That’s the Truth then. That’s the Truth now. That’s the Truth forever. See when you have the Spirit of God within you – the Spirit teaches you the Truth – so that you can go and tell the Truth to others – so that you can spread the Gospel – so that you can evangelize. We are commanded to be messengers for the messages of the Holy Spirit.

(In red letters) Christ said, “When the Spirit of Truth comes – He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own, but (He) will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring Me glory by telling you whatever He receives from Me. All that belongs to the Father is mine. This is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from Me.’” (John 16:13-15)

You know we believe in the Holy Trinity – our 3-in-1-God – Creator, Christ, and Spirit as One. I reiterate that Truth every time we observe and celebrate Communion. Creator, Christ, and Spirit as One work in perfect harmony.

The Holy Spirit continues the work of Christ by advising us, and defending us, and protecting us on our day-to-day journey. The Holy Spirit maintains Christ’s presence in the world. The Holy Spirit guides the judgment of the world.

Beware of false prophets – in and out of the church. Beware of the spirit of deception who lives in the world. Rely on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

[TO BE CONTINUED – NEXT WEEK]

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, 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) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Food Holidays Home

Happy Thanksgiving Day

#TravelThursday returns next week.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp