Tag: Bible

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday August 30TH 2026, 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.

Volume 9, Number 27, Edition 427
“20 Years Of Salvation – Part 3”

This morning I’m waking up in Homestead Florida – the place where I was saved exactly 20 years ago. I’ve been here since Friday morning – spending quality time with former longtime coworkers over meals – and church brothers and sisters over more meals.

Last #SundayScripture I wrote about my first church of 8 years in the movie theatre – just a half-mile down the road from my hotel this weekend. That theatre incidentally went out-of-business in October 2019 after 13½ years. The last movie I ever saw there was a month earlier in September. I saw the faith-based movie “Overcomer” (a Kendrick Brothers Production).

The former movie theatre is now a converted medical facility.

I wrote about my second church in Homestead – the one that I’ll be heading to this morning. I also mentioned my first church in Sebring.

Let’s continue my story:

Highlands Community Church is my fourth church overall over the past 19½ years – and my second church in Sebring. My first Sunday at my current church was Labor Day Sunday in September of 2023. (My 3RD anniversary is next Sunday.)

I love my church family, and my Senior Pastor Tim is a great Pastor and friend. I started watching him and the Praise & Worship band for a couple of months on YouTube before I ever set foot into the building. I knew what to expect before I got there; although, I did not know that on that first morning I would meet a couple who lived in Homestead for many years before moving to Sebring. They knew my former Pastor, his wife and family, and a few church members.

I plan to be there indefinitely. As far as I’m concerned – it’s my forever church, and Sebring is my forever home.

I’m so glad that God guided and directed me to each of my four church families since that first Sunday in January of 2007.

You know nobody invited me to any of the four churches. I arrived. I walked in through the front door. I appeared. There I was – on a Sunday morning. Thanks be to God.

My story is an anomaly. For most of you – you were invited to a church by an already existing member of that church family – perhaps by a neighbor or coworker. For many of you – you were rescued and saved by God when you were a teenager, or maybe even into your 20s.

I was middle-aged when God rescued and saved me at age 39. I didn’t know Him before then.

I love to share my salvation story with anyone who will listen – one-on-one, in a group setting, inside, outside, online, offline, anywhere, and everywhere. “For where two or three gather in My name – there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20 NIV)

My salvation started unexpectedly – without notice – out of nowhere – unscheduled – during that week of August 20TH 2006. Nobody led me to God. Nobody bought me a Bible. Nobody invited me to church. Nobody asked me to go to a revival or a crusade.

Before that August morning – I had no idea what salvation was. I didn’t know what “being saved” meant. An old life versus a new life meant nothing to me. I didn’t know God. But God. He knew me. He knew me before I was born to my parents. But I didn’t know Him. I met Him in 2006 – when I invited Him closer to me – when I invited Him into my heart – when I asked Him to take over my life. I was dead to my old life. I was born to this new life.

Meeting God and allowing Him to enter my heart – that was the most important event of my life. Nothing else comes close to that. Nothing ever will. My life was changed forever.

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 NLT)

(I’ll continue this story – next #SundayScripture.)

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday August 23RD 2026, 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.

Volume 9, Number 26, Edition 426
“20 Years Of Salvation – Part 2”

This past week I observed and celebrated the 20TH anniversary of the start of my salvation which occurred at dawn during the 3RD week of August of 2006 on North Canal Drive (SW 328TH Street) in Homestead Florida.

Last #SundayScripture I began sharing my testimony about my first 5 months of salvation – leading-up to that rock and roll concert on a Saturday night at Life Pointe Church. This week my story continues:

So as I ended last week’s edition – I wrote that it was announced that the church building that we were in was not where Sunday morning service occurred. Sunday morning service was actually held a couple of miles away inside the new movie theatre. That would be Flagship Cinemas – Homestead’s only theatre at the time. It was built in 2005 into 2006, and it opened in April 2006. It was modern and state-of-the-art at the time. It was our first theatre since the previous one was smashed into pieces by Hurricane Andrew 13½ years earlier. (The 34TH anniversary of Hurricane Andrew’s landfall across Homestead Florida is tonight.)

I see a lot of movies at the theatre – generally between 20 and 30 a year. Occasionally I went to that theatre early on Sunday afternoons. At first I couldn’t figure out why there were so many people at the theatre (that early), and most of them were leaving and not arriving. I eventually realized that they were church people. A church service was being held at the theatre before the movies started, and they were letting out as I was arriving to see an early movie. I thought that a church service at the theatre was quite odd, but then I thought of church people as quite odd.

Well guess what ? I entered that theatre the very next morning after the rock concert inside the traditional (and original) church building. I walked in at around 9:45 AM on that Sunday January 21ST 2007 (another date that I’ll never forget). I was greeted and hugged by complete strangers at the front doors. A smiling lady – Anne – soon introduced herself to me, and I introduced myself to her. She was in charge of Hospitality. We’ve been friends ever since that very first morning.

She led me down the hallway to the specific theatre where service was held starting at 10 AM. I was greeted again at that door. I walked in. I found a seat. And I attended my very first church service in 30 years – ever since I was a little kid in Catholic School.

Within the first 10 minutes of the service – I knew that I would be back again the next Sunday morning. I’ve been part of a church family ever since.

I was part of that first church family for the next 8 years – until 2015. And then I moved to another church about a mile away, and I was part of that second church family for the next 9 years – until 2024. I served as an Assistant Pastor at that church. I opened and closed every service. I led Communion on the first Sunday of every month, and I was honored to preach over 60 sermons there. I was part of the Praise + Worship team during my final few years – singing the same songs on stage that I was singing along to at home and in my car.

I moved to Sebring Florida in March of 2023 – almost a full year before I retired from the Air Force down in Homestead. I commuted back-and-forth between Sebring and Homestead – not every day – but about every week or two. I actually worked from home – my new home in Sebring – during my final year of employment. For my entire 39-year career with the Air Force – I held a desk job in an office working with numbers and money. I was able to do my job in an efficient manner remotely.

My third church overall was my first church here in Sebring, and it was not my current church. It was another church down the road. It wasn’t a good fit for me, so I eventually started looking elsewhere.

(I’ll continue this story – next #SundayScripture.)

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday August 16TH 2026, 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.

Volume 9, Number 25, Edition 425
“20 Years Of Salvation – Part 1”

Last #SundayScripture I shared the YouTube video of the entire service of my home church from the week before (2 weeks ago). I led Communion, and I shared the start of my salvation story with my brothers and sisters of my church family.

But wait. As legendary radio commentator Paul Harvey famously said – let me share with you “the rest of the story”. I’ve shared it countless times before online and offline, and its worth sharing infinitely.

As those 5 months went by – August into September into October into November into December of 2006, and I was learning all about God from the radio and from Yahoo and Google – I realized that I could only go so far on this fantastic journey by myself. I was an orphan on this journey. God wanted me to be part of a family of believers. He wanted me to have brothers and sisters of a church family.

So – He used the radio again. Starting in December of 2006 – that radio station that I was listening to – day and night – they began promoting their upcoming birthday party concert at a local church in Homestead (where I lived). It was a rock concert inside a church ! I was thinking “What on Earth ? ! A rock concert ? Inside a church ? Is that even allowed ?” (I had never envisioned such a concept.)

I had been to countless rock concerts at big arenas all around South Florida in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, but inside a church ? I had to check that one out. So – I made plans to attend that rock concert at that church. As I recall – it was a pay at the door concert. By the way – Manic Drive was the headliner of that concert. Anyone heard of Manic Drive ? They were quite big 20 years ago during the mid-2000s. I think they’re still together and active today.

So that date of that rock concert – inside that church – was Saturday January 20TH 2007. I’ll remember that date forever. It was exactly 5 months to the date of the start of my salvation. I had the guts to walk in to that church all by myself on that night after dark. Actually – God gave me the courage to do that. I didn’t know a single person there.

That rock concert was totally awesome. I could not believe that I could have so much fun singing and dancing and hands in the air like you just don’t care inside a church, and it was all about God, and it was all for God. But I noticed something interesting. I was perhaps the oldest person there. Everyone else looked like they were in their 20s or teens. I didn’t even see any parents there. I think the parents dropped off their kids at the front door of the church and then drove off somewhere peaceful and quiet.

Towards the end of the concert the host – who turned out to be a Youth Director – he was in his 20s – he thanked everyone for coming to the show, and he announced that the church building that we were in was not where Sunday morning service occurred. Sunday morning service was actually held a couple of miles away inside the new movie theatre. WHAT ? !

(I’ll continue this story – next #SundayScripture.)

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday August 09TH 2026, 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.

Volume 9, Number 24, Edition 424
“Communion”

Last Sunday morning I led Communion at my home church, as I do every first Sunday of the month. You can watch it – as part of our entire service – on YouTube here. (I appear just before the 23-minute mark.)

At Highlands Community Church we observe and celebrate Communion monthly after 4 songs of Praise + Worship and before our Senior Pastor Tim preaches his message.

This is the 3RD church over the past 17 years where I’ve led Communion. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to do so 3 different ways at each of the 3 churches, and at all of them – I wrote my own Communions from start to finish. I still have most of them on my computer.

Thank You Lord for blessing me with Your guidance, Your direction, and Your wisdom in this ministry at my home church through the years. I will always look to You prior to, during, and after writing each new Communion message ensuring that it always glorifies You and reminds me and my brothers and sisters of who You are, what You did for us, what you are doing for us, and what you will do for us until we reach Your Glory eternally. I trust in Your promises. In Your powerful name I pray – AMEN !

BOILERPLATE

#SundayScripture is published online every Sunday at 0300 U.S. East Coast time. It was created in its current form in February 2018. I share my testimony here each 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, for the best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and I pray that the LORD will bless you and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you, and may He be gracious to you. May He lift up His countenance upon you, and may He give you peace. I pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN and AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp