Tag: Jesus

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday October 19TH 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.

This past week I was trying to figure out what I wanted to write about for this edition. I’m in a great chapter of my life right now 20 months into retirement – with great things happening at my church, at my museum, and in my neighborhood.

I looked back in time for inspiration. I looked at my church “wrap-up” blog posts from this weekend in 2008 and 2009, and they were both a bit cringeworthy. Notably I began my public speaking ministry on stage 16 years ago this month when I began hosting Sunday morning services.

I looked back at my sermons that I’ve preached on this weekend over the years, and I stumbled across one that I preached to my second church family (in Homestead) exactly 5 years ago this weekend. It was titled “Apostle & Elder”, and it was based on the 13 verses of John’s second letter. It inspired me – even 5 years later. I thought about using an excerpt from the sermon for this edition, but I couldn’t figure out which excerpt to use. What I really want to do is transcribe the entire sermon in here.

What I remember behind the scenes of that sermon is that it was from October 18TH 2020 – 7 months after the start of the COVID pandemic, and less than 5 months after we reopened as a church. (We shut down for 10 Sundays because of COVID.) Everyone had their temperature taken at our front hallway, social distancing was in effect all throughout our sanctuary, and the wearing of face masks was required. (I got to take mine off while I preached from the pulpit.) We actually lost a few members of our small church family who were anti-face mask and refused to wear them. Our Pastor was (and still is) pro-COVID vaccine, and that turned them off as well. They never returned.

I just looked at the calendar. After today there are 10 Sundays remaining in 2025. I should be able to fill-up the next 9 weeks of #SundayScripture posts with that sermon – led with a little bit of commentary each week. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’ll get that started 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

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday October 12TH 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.

This morning at my home church we’ll be celebrating Pastor Appreciation Day. It’s traditionally celebrated at many churches during the 2ND Sunday of October. We’ll do so with a special breakfast 90 minutes before service starts.

Several years ago I was presented with that coffee mug from my church family for Pastor Appreciation Day. I decided to take it to work and use it as my new coffee mug there since my old coffee mug was – well – old.

I had a “guest chair” at the edge of my workstation that was used by my coworkers and customers to discuss business (or non-business). That mug and warmer (both of which I still use today in my home office) were in clear view of that guest chair. It began getting noticed. I lost a few coworkers who no longer wanted to discuss non-business matters. I even lost coworkers who didn’t want to have any contact with me at all. They liked me as Chris, but they no longer liked me once they discovered that I was Pastor Chris away from the workplace. Maybe they thought that I would use them in a sermon. (And in fact – I did use general work situations in sermons – both positive and negative – without using real names.)

I still wonder if I should have never brought that coffee mug to work.

I’m not one to go around telling people that I’m a Pastor. I let them discover it on their own. Here in Sebring I’ve done that at my home church (both of them since 2023), at the multiple museums that I’m a member of, and even here in my own neighborhood. Once they find out on their own – then I confirm it. Sometimes it leads to a glorious renewed relationship. Sometimes it’s the end of the relationship.

I’m not a fan of braggadocious Pastors who go around telling people how great they are because they are a Pastor for however many years at a church attended by hundreds (or thousands) with multiple services every weekend at multiple campuses in multiple cities (or continents). I’ve served alongside a few Pastors like that. There are plenty of them on TV. They want you and everyone else to know that they are a Pastor. That’s not displaying God’s fruit of self-control. That’s not humbling yourself before the Lord, as written in James 4:10.

On this Pastor Appreciation Day – I thank those Pastors who are humble as they serve the Lord and lead – not their church – but God’s church.

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