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Sunday Scripture

There’s an abundance of disinformation, misinformation, and fake news available to us at every minute of every day. You can find it on most of the broadcast and cable TV networks. You can read it in the newspapers (if you still read those). You’re definitely exposed to it here on social media – especially on Facebook and Twitter. Many otherwise intelligent people have been duped and brainwashed by propaganda and conspiracy theories, and they have spread them unknowingly or intentionally online and offline.

This blog existed on Facebook for over 4½ years from 2013 to 2017. I moved it off of there and returned it to its original home on here at the start of 2018. I haven’t posted original material on Facebook since I did that. WordPress seems like an oasis from the clutter and noise of social media. Sure it’s one of the lesser-popular sites, and it’s one of the older sites (almost 16-years-old). But you found my blog, so it’s in a good place.

Any born again Christian who spends any amount of time watching mainstream TV news and talk shows or reading social media knows that we are portrayed as radical extremists. We are those crazy lunatic nutcases on the far-right who believe in a God that nobody has ever seen or heard. We are members of a cult who keep drinking the Kool-Aid. We are hypocrites and bigots who believe that we are better than everyone else.

Radical extremist ? OK I’ll take that one.
Crazy lunatic nutcase ? #Accurate
Far-right ? Hardly. My political views are all over the spectrum on both sides.
A God that nobody has ever seen or heard ? That’s fake news.
Member of a cult ? Not at all. I didn’t discover true freedom until salvation began.
Drinking the Kool-Aid ? No. That’s those who believe everything they see on TV.
Hypocrite ? Sure. All humans are hypocrites.
Bigot ? No. You know what a bigot does ? They accuse others of being bigots.
Better than everyone else ? No. I’m better than nobody.

Jesus replied – “I assure you – no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say – ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
(John 3:5-8 NLT)

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

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Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio Travel

My Top 10 Hits – Week 234

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 AUGUST 08TH 2021 WEEK 234
TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 18 Gospel Song
[2ND week @ # 1]		 Rhett Walker
2 4 11 When We Fall Apart Ryan Stevenson Ft. Vince Gill & Amy Grant
3 3 14 Yes He Can Cain
4 10 2 House Of The Lord Phil Wickham
5 5 4 Into The Wild Josh Baldwin
6 6 4 What If Matthew West
7 2 11 Be Alright Evan Craft X Danny Gokey X Redimi2
8 7 10 Until Grace Tauren Wells Ft. Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts
9 8 5 My Jesus Anne Wilson
10 9 2 Brand New Coby James

# 1 This Week In:
2020 – “There Was Jesus” – Zach Williams Ft. Dolly Parton
2019 – “Raise A Hallelujah” – Bethel Music
2018 – “Dream Small” – Josh Wilson
2017 – “Wonder” – Hillsong United

HUGE CLIMBER – With such a tight Top 10 chart very rarely do songs move up (or down) more than 2 or 3 notches in a single week, but Phil Wickham’s “House Of The Lord” does more than that – surging 6 notches from # 10 to # 4. It really feels like a future # 1 smash on my chart (and the national charts as well). It’s currently Top 15 nationwide where it’s rapidly increasing plays on the radio.

CHART BUSTING just outside of my Top 10 this week is the brand new radio single from one of my favorite bands – We Are Messengers. It’s poised to enter my chart as their 7TH hit since 2017. The song reminds us that in every high – in every low – on mountain tops – down broken roads – He is still our rock. Our hope remains. We can rest in the arms of Jesus. “Come What May”.

Here’s the official music video for “Come What May” – featuring Darren Mulligan praising and worshiping our Lord our Shepherd on scenic Glencolumbkille Beach on the northwest coast of Ireland:

This blog is # 74 worldwide on the Top 80 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

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Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Earlier this year I added “Singer” to my vast church résumé. It was another one of those situations within my 14½-year church experience where I was invited (asked) to do something by the Lead Pastor, and I said “YES !” without even thinking about it. So I joined our Praise & Worship team. (I affectionately refer to us as “the band”.)

Our Lead Pastor actually invited two of us to sing with him while our Praise & Worship Pastor was incapacitated. (He broke his leg skiing). Once he recovered enough to resume his duties a few months later he asked us to stay, so now it’s him and his wife, and the two of us recruited earlier this year to belt-out 3 or 4 contemporary worship songs. We’re a 4-piece band. I’m a back-up singer. I just try to blend-in with the others.

Aside from Karaoke on cruise ships, singing loudly and boldly at home, at work, and in my car, and singing a few times during some of my earlier sermons that I’ve preached – I have no real singing experience. I’m not that good of a singer. I barely have 1 octave. I’m actually a much better dancer than singer (if you can believe that). I have far more experience dancing than singing, but I left most of that behind almost 20 years ago in the trance and techno clubs. I’m 54 now. I can no longer dance like a 20-year-old in his mid-30s.

One of the songs that we’ve been singing often on Sunday mornings (almost every week) is “Way Maker”. Michael W. Smith scored his biggest radio hit since the late-1990s with his cover version of the song. (It peaked at # 3 on my own chart.)

“Way Maker” is a crowd favorite on Sunday mornings. From the stage I see the eyes of my brothers and sisters light-up, and I see smiles during the opening chords. I see and hear joy as we all sing together the words of “Way Maker” to our Way Maker.

Sometimes we need a reminder that when we sing – we don’t do so for our own entertainment. We’re not singing to each other. We’re singing to our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. He is our Way Maker. He is our Miracle Worker. He is our Promise Keeper. He is our Light in the darkness. He is our God. That is who He is.

I am the LORD – your Holy One – Israel’s Creator and King. I am the LORD – who opened a way through the waters – making a dry path through the sea. (Isaiah 43:15-16)

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

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 233

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 AUGUST 01ST 2021 WEEK 233
TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 3 17 Gospel Song
[1ST week @ # 1]		 Rhett Walker
2 1 10 Be Alright Evan Craft X Danny Gokey X Redimi2
3 2 13 Yes He Can Cain
4 5 10 When We Fall Apart Ryan Stevenson Ft. Vince Gill & Amy Grant
5 6 3 Into The Wild Josh Baldwin
6 7 3 What If Matthew West
7 4 9 Until Grace Tauren Wells Ft. Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts
8 9 4 My Jesus Anne Wilson
9 – 1 Brand New Coby James
10 – 1 House Of The Lord Phil Wickham

# 1 This Week In:
2020 – “No Impossible With You” – I AM THEY
2019 – “Raise A Hallelujah” – Bethel Music
2018 – “Dream Small” – Josh Wilson
2017 – “Wonder” – Hillsong United

NEW # 1 SMASH – Rhett Walker’s 2ND hit on my chart is his 1ST # 1 smash, as “Gospel Song” reaches the pinnacle in its 17TH week. It’s remarkable in that it kind of just lingered around at # 6 or below from April to July. Last week it suddenly made a big move to # 3, and this week it claims the top spot. It’s getting what I call “The 2:20 Treatment” on K-LOVE. That means it gets played (like clockwork) every 2 hours and 20 minutes day and night. That’s 10 times per day, or 70 times per week. Ain’t nothin’ like a “Gospel Song”. Makes me wanna sing it all day long !

NEW AT # 10 – Phil Wickham is back with his 5TH hit on my chart, and he’s praising and worshiping his Lord & Savior Jesus Christ – the God who was – the God who is – the God who evermore will be. He’s the God who heals – the God who saves – the God who always makes a way.

Here’s the official music video for “House Of The Lord”:

CHART BUSTING just outside of my Top 10 this week are 2 emerging hits from Chris Tomlin and Mike Donehey. Chris Tomlin is with his country music brothers Thomas Rhett and Florida Georgia Line in a vibrant track titled “Thank You Lord”. Mike Donehey – formerly of Tenth Avenue North – is solo with his post-band debut “All Together”. Look for both of these uplifting tracks to debut on a future chart.

This blog is # 74 worldwide on the Top 80 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