Tag: Reverend

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday February 26TH 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.

This morning I’m back at my home church here in Homestead Florida for the first (and last) time this month. On February 05TH I was part of the large church family that meets at the downtown city park in Naples Florida. On February 12TH I stayed home as I recovered from an unusual cold that came and went in about a day-and-a-half. On February 19TH I was part of a church family that meets in Lake Placid Florida. They were very nice and friendly towards me. My longtime friend (formerly from Homestead) introduced me to everyone. I attended their Sunday School for adults, and regular church service. They even did baptisms at the end of the service. It was a great experience there, and I’ll visit again in the future. It’s about 19 miles from my new home, and I’m looking for a new home church within about 3 to 5 miles. (There are many to choose from.)

This morning at my home church I’ll be filling-in for my Pastor (currently on vacation), and I’ll be preaching. My sermon today will be non-traditional for me. It will be spontaneous and unrehearsed. Titled “Sebring & Beyond” I’ll be preaching about God’s plans for me in Sebring Florida. I bought my new retirement home there 10 days ago, and I’ll begin moving there in a couple of weeks.

Don’t worry about anything. Instead – pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace – which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

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

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday February 19TH 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.

This morning I’m in beautiful scenic Highlands County Florida in the south-central “Heartland” of the state along the U.S. 27 “spine”. I’ve been here for a few days now, and I’m making my return trip southward. But first I’m visiting a friend’s church for the first time ever in Lake Placid. She used to live in Homestead for many years, and then she moved away about 15 years ago to Highlands. I’m doing the same thing this year !

This morning when I visit her church – I’ll be part of her church family for an hour or so. I was part of her church family last Sunday too – when I watched the entire service LIVE on Facebook.

I don’t believe in going to church or leaving from church. I believe in being the church and bringing the church in everything I do and everywhere I go. If you go to church – then that means that you’re coming from something else to rejoin the church for an hour or two. I don’t ever want to leave the church behind. I want to be the church 24/7. It is not meant to be merely a Sunday morning ritual. It is meant to be your entire life. If God’s church is not your entire life – then why bother ? Christ is coming back for His glorious church.

He did this to present her to Himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead – she will be holy and without fault. (Ephesians 5:27 NLT)

Next Sunday morning I’ll bring the church back with my home church in Homestead for the first time in 4 weeks.

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

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday February 12TH 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 is Super Bowl Sunday all across the U.S.A. – an unofficial national holiday. Actually – there are some lawmakers who would like to get rid of Columbus Day in October, and replace it with Super Bowl Monday – a new Federal holiday. That would give us 2 Federal holidays on consecutive Mondays in February in most years. (The exception being when Presidents’ Day falls on Monday February 15TH – the same day as the day after the Super Bowl.)

As soon as I return home from church service and fellowship today – I’ll turn on my TV to FOX (airing the Super Bowl), and I won’t touch the dial (remote) again until I turn it off after the big game.

I now continue presenting my New Year’s Day sermon in its original written form. It’s based on the Matthew West song of late-2019 / early-2020 – “The God Who Stays”. Here’s Part 5 (the conclusion):

‘Cause you’re the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the One who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away

You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done
Can separate my heart
From the God who stays

You’re the God who stays
You’re the One who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away

You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done
Can separate my heart
From the God who stays

BEHIND THE SERMON – So that part up there in dark green – I actually sang that to my church family a cappella. Up until that point in my sermon – I merely read the lyrics of Matthew West’s song. You know I used to sing more often while preaching. I kind of got away from doing that over the past few years (since COVID). I’m going to try to get back to singing small portions of my sermons in the future. Our God loves to hear us sing to Him. Every voice is beautiful to Him.

Right after I sang – I explained to my church family how it would’ve been great to actually watch Matthew West’s official music video for his song “The God Who Stays”. But what worked fine in my PowerPoint Presentation at home did not work at all in that same PowerPoint Presentation on the church’s laptop. (It was a video compression issue.) So our Praise & Worship Pastor (who was sitting in our sound room) did some quick work, found the music video on YouTube, and he played it for us.

What a beautiful song that is. What a powerful song that is. Matthew West is not singing to us. He’s singing to the God who stays.

You know when that song played on the radio every few hours every day during the COVID lockdowns – I thought to myself – that song – that song plays out like a sermon. I could write a sermon based on that powerful song – that hymn to our God. And so I did – almost 3 years later.

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

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday February 05TH 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.

This is normally Communion Sunday at my home church, as it’s the first Sunday of a brand-new month. But not this Sunday. We’ll observe and celebrate Communion next Sunday after the sermon.

This Sunday I’m on the road – 3 hours away – over in Southwest Florida. Last night I had a floor seat in the middle of the Hertz Arena at the TobyMac & Friends “Hits Deep Tour” show in Estero. I’ll write all about that concert tomorrow on #Top10Monday.

This morning I’m attending a church service at Cambier Park in downtown Naples Florida. Celebration Beach Church has been hosting Sunday morning church services outside in the city park for many years now, and I’ve been attending their services occasionally over the past 13 years. If I lived in Naples it would be my home church, but since I’m a tourist in Naples it’s my vacation church.

I now continue presenting my New Year’s Day sermon in its original written form. It’s based on the Matthew West song of late-2019 / early-2020 – “The God Who Stays”. Here’s Part 4:

‘Cause somehow You don’t see me like I do
Somehow You’re still here
You’re the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the One who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away

You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done
Can separate my heart
From the God who stays

Paul to the Romans (8:38-39):

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed – nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

My shame can’t separate
My guilt can’t separate
My past can’t separate
I’m Yours forever

My sin can’t separate
My scars can’t separate
My failures can’t separate
I’m Yours forever

No enemy can separate
No power of hell can take away
Your love for me will never change
I’m Yours forever

You know your best testimony of how great our God is – is the story of you. Only you can testify to the world out there your story – your story of redemption through Jesus Christ – our Lord + Savior. Tell them – the person that you used to be. Tell them – the person that you are now. Tell them – how you got to be where you are now. Tell them – how He lifted you out of the pit of despair – out of the mud and the mire. Tell them – that you are nothing without God – and His grace and mercy for you. Tell them – that He is the God for everyone in the entire world who accepts Him as his or her personal Lord + Savior.

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