Tag: Blog

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Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 322

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 nearly 45 years. Here’s this week’s chart – for the week ending Sunday April 16TH 2023 – the 322ND week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 13 The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)
[8TH week @ # 1]		 Matt Maher
2 4 11 I Believe It (The Life Of Jesus) Jon Reddick
3 3 18 My Story Your Glory Matthew West
4 2 20 I See Grace Micah Tyler
5 5 9 Running Home Cochren & Co.
6 6 7 This Is Our God Phil Wickham
7 7 3 Easy To Praise Patrick Mayberry
8 8 3 Fingerprints Dan Bremnes
9 – 1 Desert Road Casting Crowns
10 10 3 Cornerstone TobyMac Ft. Zach Williams

# 1 This Week In:
2022 – “See Me Through It” – Brandon Heath
2021 – “Good God Almighty” – Crowder
2020 – “Almost Home” – MercyMe
2019 – “Confidence” – Sanctus Real
2018 – “Freedom Hymn” – Austin French
2017 – “I Have This Hope” – Tenth Avenue North

CASTING CROWNS – My favorite band from McDonough Georgia are back on my chart after a nearly 2½-year hiatus – since “Start Right Here” towards the end of 2020. “Desert Road” is from their album “Healer”, and it’s their first song from that album to hit my chart. “Scars In Heaven” is also from that album, but it stalled just outside of my Top 10. “Crazy People” is a fun song from the album that received airplay on some Christian radio stations. They perform that song towards the end of all of their concerts, and it’s an audience favorite to get crazy with.

“Desert Road” has been playing at some Christian radio stations for almost a year now; although, it’s a recent add at #CountUp favorite K-LOVE. Every time I hear it – I like it more. When they performed it LIVE in concert this past Thursday night – I was singing along with them from 7 rows back.

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again with the new weekend – and 4 new entries – known as #TravelThursday, #RetroFriday, #SundayScripture, and #Top10Monday.

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 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) 2023 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Bible Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Music Radio Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday April 16TH 2023, 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.

If you read #TravelThursday 3 days ago then you’ll know that I was in the Fort Myers Florida area this past Thursday (with a scenic drive out of the area early the next morning). So what was I doing there on Thursday ?

I went to my favorite mid-size sports and entertainment arena in Estero – Hertz Arena – to attend the Casting Crowns concert !

One of my favorite Christian pop bands brought “The Healer Tour” to Southwest Florida. It was my 3RD time seeing them LIVE in concert. (My 2ND time was in October 2021 at the same arena when Matthew West opened for him.)

For this tour Ben Fuller opened the show. He sang his heart out, and he preached his amazing testimony. God rescued and saved him from a young life of sex, drugs, and alcohol about 3½ years ago, and now he’s all in for Christ. That’s who he is. (His song “Who I Am” was a # 1 smash nationwide on the Christian pop charts last year.)

My favorite Irishman – Darren Mulligan – was up next with his band – We Are Messengers. I’ve been a big fan of their music since this current era of my pop chart began 6 years and 2 months ago. They’ve scored with 7 hits so far. Darren always leads an awesome set on stage, and the church family in the arena was singing, clapping, and dancing along with him.

Darren was wearing a cool Psalm 23 white tee-shirt.

The Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows. He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths – bringing honor to His name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley – I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4 NLT)

Casting Crowns took the stage after a short fundraiser and intermission. They plowed through almost 20 of their greatest hits over the past 20 years, and most of us on the floor section were constantly standing for each new track down memory lane. I didn’t know who they were until 2017, but now they are one of my favorite bands. Other than MercyMe and Matthew West – no other artist has spent more weeks at # 1 on my pop chart since 2017. They debut on my chart tomorrow with their latest hit – “Desert Road”.

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) 2023 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 321

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 nearly 45 years. Here’s this week’s chart – for the week ending Sunday April 09TH 2023 – the 321ST week of this current era that began on Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2017:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 12 The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)
[7TH week @ # 1]		 Matt Maher
2 3 19 I See Grace Micah Tyler
3 4 17 My Story Your Glory Matthew West
4 5 10 I Believe It (The Life Of Jesus) Jon Reddick
5 2 8 Running Home Cochren & Co.
6 6 6 This Is Our God Phil Wickham
7 8 2 Easy To Praise Patrick Mayberry
8 7 2 Fingerprints Dan Bremnes
9 9 4 Believe Blessing Offor
10 10 2 Cornerstone TobyMac Ft. Zach Williams

# 1 This Week In:
2022 – “Brighter Days” – Blessing Offor
2021 – “Good God Almighty” – Crowder
2020 – “Almost Home” – MercyMe
2019 – “Confidence” – Sanctus Real
2018 – “Freedom Hymn” – Austin French
2017 – “I Have This Hope” – Tenth Avenue North

“THE LORD’S PRAYER”– Matt Maher is still at # 1 on my chart for the 7TH week in a row. I led Praise & Worship yesterday at our church service for Resurrection Sunday. I do Praise & Worship a little bit different when I lead. I play 3 music videos (mostly official lyric videos) at the top of the service. The first one is a “cold open” – which means right at 11 AM (the start time of our service) I start the first video with no introduction. Yesterday it was Phil Wickham’s “This Is Amazing Grace”. The first video is always an uplifting one – to get everyone’s attention and to set the mood for the service. I then greet my church family, and that leads-in to the second video. Yesterday it was Cochren & Co.’s “Thank God For Sunday Morning”. That was so relevant for Resurrection Sunday. I concluded the 3-video set with Chris Tomlin’s “Resurrection Power”. Every so often I get the chance to close with a 4TH video at the end of the service. It’s usually one that I’ve never played before. Yesterday it was Matt Maher’s “The Lord’s Prayer”. It sounded so good playing so loudly all throughout the sound system within our church sanctuary. I think that most of our church family appreciated it as a perfect “going back out into the world to celebrate” song.

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again with the new weekend – and 4 new entries – known as #TravelThursday, #RetroFriday, #SundayScripture, and #Top10Monday.

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 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) 2023 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Bible Blogging Christian Church God Holidays Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday April 09TH 2023, 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.

Today I observe and celebrate my 17TH Easter Sunday with my brothers and sisters of my church family. Before salvation – Easter was just another day of the year. Now it’s the most important day of the year – and the reason why I live today.

As the Bible says in the Gospel According to Mark – Chapter 16 (1-7):

Saturday evening – when the Sabbath ended – Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning – just at sunrise – they went to the tomb. On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb ?” But as they arrived – they looked up and saw that the stone – which was very large – had already been rolled aside.

When they entered the tomb – they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said – “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth – who was crucified. He isn’t here !  He is risen from the dead !  Look – this is where they laid His body. Now go and tell His disciples – including Peter – that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there – just as He told you before He died.”

HE IS RISEN !  HE IS RISEN – INDEED !  The Lord has really risen !  He appeared to Peter. (Luke 24:34). He was seen by the Twelve, and the more than 500 of His followers at the time, and by James (the half-brother of Jesus), and by all the apostles, and by Paul. (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)

Today we join our brothers and sisters in Christ – God’s children – all across this great nation of ours – and all around the world – as we observe and celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ – our Lord and Savior.

We join our brothers and sisters of this global church family on this Resurrection Sunday, but we know that every waking moment of every new day is a renewed celebration of Christ conquering the grave, and rising from the dead, and giving us life.

HE IS RISEN !  HE IS RISEN – INDEED !  And since He is risen – we have risen from where we once were.

See Jesus keeps His promises – then and now. He does what He says He is going to do. He is who He says He is. He is risen. He is risen – indeed. He is alive. He sits on the throne of Heaven. He is the King of Kings. He is the Lord of Lords. He gives us life. He breathes life onto our dry bones. Breath of God – breathe on us !  He makes all things new. He gives us hope. He gives us purpose. He makes us vessels of vibrant living waters.

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) 2023 Christopher M. Day, CountUp