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Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday October 24TH 2021, 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.

I’ve returned home from another Florida road-trip. It was a short one – spanning less than 50 hours, but 563 miles on the road. I’ll write about that trip coming-up this #TravelThursday, but for this #SundayScripture it’s the reason for the trip.

I attended 2 LIVE concerts in a row on Thursday and Friday nights.

In Tampa on Thursday I saw MercyMe for the 4TH time – and for the 3RD year in a row. They were amazing as always. They are my # 2 artist overall during this current era of my weekly hit music chart with more weeks at # 1 – 22 – than any other artist. They performed 20 of their hits – including a few new ones off their new album – “inhale (exhale)”. And YES – we ended with the “Happy Dance” under a heavy shower of confetti. Opening for MercyMe were Micah Tyler and Sam Wesley. I saw Micah for the 2ND time – both times in Tampa – and both times opening for MercyMe. Micah is currently my # 8 artist of this current era with 2 # 1 hits. Sam Wesley is actually Sam Wesley Millard – Bart Millard’s 19-year-son. (I’ll have more on Bart and his son Sam tomorrow on #Top10Monday.)

In Estero (Southwest Florida) on Friday I saw Casting Crowns for the 2ND time. I saw them for the 1ST time in November 2019, and 2 months later I decided that I wanted to see them again, so I got my ticket for their April 2020 show. Well you know what happened then. We were all in COVID-19 lockdown. It was rescheduled for October 2020, and then it was postponed again to nearly a year (51 weeks) later. So I waited 21 months for this show, and it lived-up to its long wait. It was good to see Pastor Mark Hall again lead his band. I think the entire band are worship leaders at various churches around the Atlanta Georgia area. Mark’s messages as Pastor become Casting Crowns songs. They are my # 15 artist of this current era with 3 # 1 hits spending a combined 18 weeks atop my weekly hit music chart.

Opening for Casting Crowns is my # 1 artist of this current era – the amusing, energetic, and talented Matthew West. It was my 1ST concert of his, and there will be more. He’s got a catalog of no less than 30 big radio hits over the past nearly 20 years, and he performed 10 of them for us. He also performed his funny COVID-19 pandemic anthem – “Quarantine Life”. Matthew returned near the end of Casting Crowns’ set to perform “Nobody (But Jesus)” with the band. (That’s my # 1 hit of this current era – out of 229 hits over the past 245 weeks.)

I didn’t know any of these artists up until February 2017 when I “turned the dial” on the radio in my car (for a 2ND time), and I discovered K-LOVE. The 1ST time I did that was in August 2006 when I discovered The Call – a local Miami Florida-based Christian rock, pop, and hip hop station. That discovery led to my salvation in Christ. I was born again.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. Tomorrow it’s #Top10Monday, as I present my personal Top 10 hits this week that honor our God Almighty on the radio.

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

My Top 10 Hits – Week 244

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 OCTOBER 17TH 2021 WEEK 244
TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 14 What If
[3RD week @ # 1]
Matthew West
2 2 3 Promised Land TobyMac
3 5 12 House Of The Lord Phil Wickham
4 3 8 Promises Maverick City Music
5 4 10 Thank You Lord Chris Tomlin Ft. Thomas Rhett & Florida Georgia Line
6 1 When You Speak Jeremy Camp
7 1 My God Is Still The Same Sanctus Real
8 8 4 Relate for King & Country
9 9 3 Stand In Faith Danny Gokey
10 10 2 Come What May We Are Messengers

# 1 This Week In:
2020 – “Rise Up (Lazarus)” – Cain
2019 – “Fear No More” – Building 429
2018 – “Only Jesus” – Casting Crowns
2017 – “The Gospel” – Ryan Stevenson

JEREMY’S 6TH – Jeremy Camp scores his 6TH hit on my chart since 2017, as “When You Speak” finally enters after a long delay. It’s been playing on the radio every day for the past 3 months, but (honesty alert here) – I didn’t really like it all that much. I thought it paled in comparison with his previous 3 long-lasting hits – “Dead Man Walking” (25 weeks on my chart), “Keep Me In The Moment” (20 weeks), and “Out Of My Hands” (18 weeks). The former 2 were # 1 hits, and the latter peaked at # 2 for 3 weeks. “When You Speak” likely won’t last that long or peak that high, but the fact that I like it enough now for it to debut at # 6 is impressive. We’ll see how it goes.

ON THE RADIO – With K-LOVE in seasonal pledge drive mode this past week I sampled more of WGTS out of the Washington D.C. area (sounds good), and I also added The Message on SiriusXM. They play more new music and fewer recurrents on The Message. (The new Sanctus Real song at # 7 is currently in heavy rotation on The Message.) This upcoming week I’ll be checking-out The Joy FM.

This blog is # 37 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

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday October 17TH 2021, 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.

I’m coming up on my 15TH anniversary of being part of a church body. For a little over 8 years I was a member of a small church body that quickly grew into a large church body – one of the largest if not the largest here in my hometown. And then it lost perhaps 75% (or more) of its weekly attendance as quickly as it grew it – only to slowly grow it all back (and then some) over the subsequent years. It was quite the rollercoaster ride !

Fellowship and friendships formed and fizzled over those 8 years. It was quite heartbreaking to form bonds with my fellow Christ believers and followers only to have them leave the church for various reasons (mostly unknown). Some were friendships for a season. Some were friendships merely for a Sunday morning reason. A few were genuine friendships with strong foundations that are still active to this day.

I eventually left my first church body behind, and I’ve now been with my current church body for a little over 6½ years. It was a small church body when I arrived, and it’s a small church body to this day. In fact we’re very close to zero net growth over the past 6½ years, and that’s fine with me. Some churches relish in the numbers and focus on quantity over quality and programs over prophecy. My church does not do that. We have a very strong church body of believers and followers of Christ, and we come together corporately in our small traditional church building every Sunday morning to celebrate God. Everybody knows everybody in our church body, and we genuinely love each other. There are no quarrels, and there are no cliques among us. Sermons are based on Scripture.

I’ll eventually move on from my current church body when I retire from my professional career and move away from here about 3 hours away. My next church body will also be a small church body. God has convinced me that it is where I truly belong on this fantastic journey. He will determine what my place will be with my next church body. Will I be a regular attender, or a member, or part of church leadership ? Lead me God to where You want me to be. I will follow You.

“For I know the plans I have for you” – says the LORD. “They are plans for good, and not for disaster – to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray – I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly – you will find Me. (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT)

I hope that you’re connected to a Bible-believing church body if you are a believer and follower of Christ.

And let us not neglect our meeting together – as some people do, but encourage one another – especially now that the day of His return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:25 NLT)

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. Tomorrow it’s #Top10Monday, as I present my personal Top 10 hits this week that honor our God Almighty on the radio.

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 243

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 OCTOBER 10TH 2021 WEEK 243
TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 13 What If
[2ND week @ # 1]
Matthew West
2 3 2 Promised Land TobyMac
3 4 7 Promises Maverick City Music
4 2 9 Thank You Lord Chris Tomlin Ft. Thomas Rhett & Florida Georgia Line
5 6 11 House Of The Lord Phil Wickham
6 7 23 Yes He Can Cain
7 8 27 Gospel Song Rhett Walker
8 9 3 Relate for King & Country
9 10 2 Stand In Faith Danny Gokey
10 1 Come What May We Are Messengers

# 1 This Week In:
2020 – “God So Loved” – We The Kingdom
2019 – “Fear No More” – Building 429
2018 – “Only Jesus” – Casting Crowns
2017 – “The Gospel” – Ryan Stevenson

PRAISE & WORSHIP @ # 5 – Yesterday morning at my church service we kicked-off Praise & Worship at 11 AM with Phil Wickham’s “House Of The Lord” for the very first time. I was hoping we would eventually add this “jam” to our rotation, as it seems to be the perfect “pick-up” song to kick-off our weekly celebration in our house of the Lord. I thought we sounded pretty good considering it was our first time singing it. We’ll be even better next time when we sing it to our Lord again.

#WAM @ # 10 – It took awhile (much longer than expected), but one of my former #CHARTBUSTERS (from 9 weeks ago !) has finally entered my Top 10. It’s the latest from We Are Messengers, and it’s their 7TH hit on my chart over the past 4½ years. It’s from their forthcoming album “Wholehearted” – which drops this upcoming Friday. They are fun to see LIVE in concert. I’ve seen them twice (2019 and 2021) – both times as an opener for TobyMac.

This blog is # 37 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