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Two Albums, One Powerful Message

Matthew West has announced a brand-new album! It’s called Jesus Is King and arrives September 25. The 12-song project is centered on faith, surrender, and the hope we have in Christ.

Along with the album announcement, Matthew has also released a brand-new single, “Back to Jesus.” He says making this record was a reminder to his own heart that no matter how loud fear, failure, or the noise of the world may seem, only Jesus gets the final word.

The new song, “Back to Jesus,” is a powerful reminder that no one is ever too far gone for God’s grace. It’s a message of redemption for anyone who’s wandered or wondered if there’s a way back. Matthew says he hopes these songs remind listeners of one simple truth: Jesus is King.

The new project follows Matthew’s 2024 album, Don’t Stop Praying, which became one of the biggest moments of his career. The title track spent two weeks at the top of the Christian radio charts and inspired a nationwide prayer movement.

Matthew will also be taking these new songs on the road this fall with his Jesus Is King Tour, which kicks off September 10 and brings his music to audiences across the country.

ELEVATION RHYTHM has released a brand-new live album! It’s called WASHED and is available everywhere now.

The nine-song project was recorded live during ELEVATION Church’s weekly youth nights in Charlotte, North Carolina, and captures what God has been doing in the lives of young people through worship. The album is named after the group’s current No. 1 hit, “WASHED,” which recently became ELEVATION RHYTHM’s first song to reach No. 1 across multiple Christian radio charts.

Creative director Josh Holiday says each live album is like a “time capsule,” capturing what God is doing in a specific season. He says WASHED reflects stories of identity, freedom, and new life found in Christ.

The album also features guest artists including Josiah Queen, Jonathan Stamper, SEU Worship, Avery Marillo, and Lizzie Morgan.

Fans will have the chance to experience these songs live this fall as ELEVATION RHYTHM launches the WASHED Tour, featuring worship nights, Bible studies, and opportunities to build community in cities across the country.

I say, “I’m fine, yeah, I’m fine, oh, I’m fine, hey, I’m fine”

But I’m not, I’m broken

And when it’s out of control, I say “It’s under control”

But it’s not and You know it

This week was a STUMPER, so call in next week for your chance to win TWO $5 gift cards to Watt’s Restaurant in Utica!

Thanks for listening to the Afternoon Drive!

-Joe & Brock

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Prayer and Speaking Jesus

Daniel: Yesterday in church, the pastor’s message really convicted me. We’ve been studying the Sermon on the Mount, and this week we covered Matthew 5:21–48. I’ve read this passage many times before, but this time it hit differently.

Jesus teaches that God is concerned not only with our outward actions, but with the condition of our hearts. I may never go out and commit murder, but I still get angry at people. I still struggle with sinful thoughts and attitudes. Even if no one else sees them, God does. That realization reminded me how much I need Him every single day.

So what do we do when we recognize our sin? The answer is simple: take it to God. Stop and pray.

One habit I’ve found incredibly helpful is praying first thing every morning. I often begin my day by praying the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:9–13

‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one’

When I wake up—and whenever I’m tempted—I ask God to guide my thoughts and help me keep my mind fixed on Him throughout the day.

Jesus reminds us that if God cares for the sparrows, He certainly cares for us. So don’t carry your struggles alone. Bring them to Him. He listens. He is with you in the darkest hours of the night, and He is faithful to guide you according to His perfect will.

Joe: I Speak Jesus

“Your name is power
Your name is healing
Your name is life
Break every stronghold
Shine through the shadows
Burn like a fire

I just wanna speak the name of Jesus
Over fear and all anxiety
To every soul held captive by depression
I speak Jesus

Shout Jesus from the mountains
Jesus in the streets
Jesus in the darkness, over every enemy
Jesus for my family
I speak the holy name, Jesus!”

Why speak Jesus?

Because he tells us, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness…” (John 8:12)

When you believe, you believe His claims to be the source of spiritual truth, life, and guidance – to be the light is a bold claim. He’s saying He is the true, ultimate light from God. Jesus is not just a teacher—He is divine illumination itself!

Because He defines true freedom!

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

He reframes it as not political freedom, but freedom from sin! He’s the liberator of the human soul. The only one who can truly break sin’s power.

Mystery Monday 

Name a phrase that starts with “Carry the…” 

  1. Load (24) 
  2. Bags (18) 
  3. Weight (8) 
  4. Baby, Ball, Groceries, Torch (6) 

After a THREE-WEEK stumper, we want to say congratulations to Lisa from Centerburg, who guessed those top two answers and wins THREE $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Thanks for listening!
– Daniel and Joe

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NZ Top 10 for 7/17/2026

Praise the Lord, it’s Friday! Here’s this week’s countdown:

10. MercyMe – Make It Well (#1 for 1 week)
9. Elevation Worship – Alleluia
8. Phil Wickham & Crowder – It Really Is Amazing Grace
7. We The Kingdom – Rescue Me
6. Matthew West – Good (#1 for 5 weeks)
5. Jamie MacDonald – Ain’t No Way
4. Zach Williams – Wait for Me
3. Josiah Queen – Demons
2. ELEVATION RHYTHM – WASHED (#1 last week)
1. CeCe Winans – Worthy Of It All (Worthy) (back at #1 for the 3rd week)

New Music This Week:

Forest Frank – OKAY

Stars Go Dim – Holy

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

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Praises for Partners!

This morning I was listening to Ethan and Olivia talk about the Knox County Fair and thinking about this…

How incredible is it that we have amazing partners that come alongside us to help give you a chance to win concert tickets and prizes! Examples??
– the 18+ grill packages for the Knox County Fair
– teen and kids prizes
– For King and Country tickets for the Ohio State Fair
– general admission passes for the Ohio State Fair
– our gift cards to Southside Diner, Watts Restaurant and North Main Cafe

If you are a WNZR prize partner and underwriting sponsor, THANK YOU.

If you are a WNZR Lifeline partner, THANK YOU.

We are blessed to have you beside us as we bring music and inspiration to the airwaves and online each day! You lift US up!

Bonnie from Mount Vernon guessed correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

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Summer favorites are celebrated today!

It’s a day to celebrate Hot Dogs and Gummy Worms!

A few fun facts from DaysoftheYear.com:

Each year, Americans eat about 20 billion hot dogs—that’s roughly 70 hot dogs per person! 

Baseball fans consume around 20 million hot dogs every season, making them the ultimate stadium snack. 

The term “hot dog” dates back to the early 1900s and may have been inspired by jokes about dachshund-shaped sausages. 

A true Chicago-style hot dog is famously served with NO ketchup—only mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, pickles, peppers, and celery salt. 

Los Angeles eats more hot dogs than any other U.S. city—from 27-30 million pounds per year! (source: National Hot Dog and Sausage Council) Per capita, though, it’s Greensboro, North Carolina!

Gummi worms were inspired by gummi bears and first created in the early 1980s by the German candy company Haribo. 

The “worm” idea was meant to be funny—not gross. 
In Europe, making candy shaped like creepy-crawlies was meant to be playful and a little silly… and it totally worked! 
 
Most gummi worms combine two different flavors and colors in a single piece—so every bite is a mix. 

The tangy, sugar-coated version didn’t show up until later, adding that sweet-and-sour combo people love today. 

Traditional gummi worms get their chewy texture from gelatin, along with sugar, flavoring, and coloring—giving them that signature bounce.

I was born on July 15, 1936, in Cleveland, Ohio.  

I served as mayor of Cleveland for nearly a decade, helping lead the city out of financial crisis.  

I was elected the 65th governor of Ohio and served from 1991 to 1998 during a time of strong economic growth.  

During my time as governor, Ohio created more than 500,000 jobs and unemployment dropped to a 25-year low.  

I later represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate, continuing my commitment to public service at the national level. 

Congratulations to April from Mt. Gilead, who guessed correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

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Gospel ladies take center stage!

Today’s artist news features notes about two powerful voices in contemporary gospel music! Read more about these stories from our friends at JesusFreakHideout.com by clicking the artist’s names in the story.

Motown Gospel—part of Capitol Christian Music Group, Capitol Records, and Universal Music Group—just signed GRAMMY-nominated artist Koryn Hawthorne, kicking off an exciting new chapter for one of Gospel music’s most powerful contemporary voices.

You may remember her from her amazing duets with Matt Maher, Lecrae. Natalie Grant and Danny Gokey, including “How Great” and “We All Need Jesus.”

The announcement comes as Koryn gets ready to drop new music and step into a fresh creative season. This fall, she’ll release her first project with Motown Gospel, promising a fresh, elevated sound while staying rooted in the faith-centered message that’s made Koryn stand out.

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18-time GRAMMY® Award-winning icon CeCe Winans is bringing her acclaimed Christmas tour to the West Coast for the first time in over a decade. Joined by special guests and her sisters Angie Winans and Debbie Winans, Christmas with CeCe Winans will visit six cities this December for an evening of beloved Christmas classics, worship favorites, and songs from throughout CeCe’s celebrated career.

The West Coast Christmas tour is not all. CeCe will also co-headline the highly anticipated Christmas Together tour alongside Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. The tour will feature an evening of holiday favorites, career-spanning hits, and moments of worship as three of Christian music’s most beloved artists come together.  They kick off this tour on Friday, November 27 in Columbus at the Schottenstein Center.

This one was a STUMPER last week:

When all I’m holding onto is a promise

God, You promised that You’ll never leave me

When I’m scared of the dark, You’re right there with me

Your kindness never fails, it’s always reaching after me

Congratulations to Jon from Mount Vernon – he correctly guessed Honest by Leanna Crawford and wins TWO $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant un Utica!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

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The Rock doesn’t move, but it does cry out!

Mystery Monday and Monday Motivations here on The Afternoon Drive…

Daniel: Things have been moving a lot for me lately, a lot of changes around my life. My sister bought a house, my younger siblings are growing up and getting ready for adulthood, my brother is trying to get a job, and I have big expenses coming up, like an upcoming college payment; I need to find a new car plus a few other big expenses. Can life just stay still? It can kinda feel like quicksand sometimes.

Today is International Rock Day, and it had me thinking about rocks a bit. What is a rock? It’s solid, it’s immovable, sturdy, unshakeable, and most importantly, it’s what God tells us he is. David and Jesus both talked about it.

Psalm 18:2 (ESV): “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 62:6 (KJV): “He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.”

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

Life can be a bit shaky, but God never is. He is always going to be there; he’s always going to make sure that we stay steady during life’s challenges.

Joe: CeCe Winans’ song “That’s My King” was inspired by the famous sermon called “That’s My King. Do You Know Him?” by S.M. Lockridge, the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, San Diego, in 1976.

Here are some excerpts:

“The Bible says my King is a seven-way king..
He’s the King of the Jews; that’s a racial king..
He’s the King of Israel; that’s a national King.. He’s the King of Righteousness.
He’s the King of the Ages..
He’s the King of Heaven.
He’s the King of Glory.
He’s the King of Kings, and He’s the Lord of Lords.
That’s my King. Well. I wonder, do you know Him?”

David said, (Psalm 19) “The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. No far-seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply. No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings.

He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful.

Do you know Him?

He’s the greatest phenomenon that ever crossed the horizon of this world. He’s God’s Son.”

That’s just some of the sermon. Check it out sometime. It will definitely help you embrace the greatness of our King!

Mystery Monday 

Name a phrase that starts with “Carry the…” 

  1. ??? (24) 
  2. ??? (18) 
  3. ??? (8)
  4. Four different answers tied for #4 (6)

It’s a Stumper for the second week in a row. We had someone guess #1, #3, and a couple other very good guesses, but we need #1 and #2… Join us next week for a chance to win THREE $5 gift cards to Watt’s Restaurant in Utica!

Thanks for listening!
– Daniel and Joe

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NZ Top 10 for 7/10/26

Praise the Lord, it’s Friday! Here’s this week’s countdown:

10. MercyMe – Make It Well (#1 for 1 week)
9. Phil Wickham & Crowder – It Really Is Amazing Grace
8. We The Kingdom – Rescue Me
7. Elevation Worship – Alleluia
6. Jamie MacDonald – Ain’t No Way
5. Josiah Queen – Demons
4. Matthew West – Good (#1 for 5 weeks)
3. Zach Williams – Wait for Me
2. CeCe Winans – Worthy Of It All (Worthy) (2 weeks at #1)
1. ELEVATION RHYTHM – WASHED (their FIRST #1 song!)

New Music This Week:

Tasha Layton: Meet Me In The Valley

Chandler Moore: God I’m Just Grateful

Tune in Monday with Joe and me for Monday Motivation!

Thank you for listening!

– Daniel

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The Leap of Faith & Filled with Love

Happy Praise Thursday!

Daniel: My Praise for today is more about my brother. See, he went to NYC, aka Nazarene Youth Conference, and according to him, it was a good time. See, going to NYC is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because it only happens once every four years; it’s an event exclusively for teenagers, and if you don’t recall, you’re only in your teen years for so long. He was very, very nervous; he’d never been away from home without someone else in my family being with him; plus, he’d never flown before. He ended up going, and it seems as though he’s grown closer to friends and, more importantly, grown closer to God by taking this leap of faith.

It reminds me of Matthew 14:28-33, when Peter steps out of the boat. Peter saw Jesus, and in faith, he stepped out into the waves and took the leap of faith for Jesus. He calls us to take the leap of faith every day. Each step we take is a leap of faith, but he might be calling us further into the waves; he might be calling us beyond the sea or calling us to do something we’ve thought impossible. Of course, our God is a God of the impossible made possible; remember that and give him his due praise.

Brock: I was reading in my devotional this week; it focused on Ephesians 3:17-19. Here Paul prays that we would be rooted and established in love, and that we would understand just how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is, so that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. I don’t know about you, but that’s what I want for my life to be filled with the fullness of God’s love.

The truth is, it’s easy to believe we have to earn God’s love or somehow prove we’re worthy of it. When we live with that mindset, though, we begin looking to the world to give us the value and identity we’re longing for. But the world can never truly satisfy us. It promises fulfillment, yet often leaves us emptier than before. God’s love is different. His love isn’t something we earn. It’s something we receive. And when we truly grasp how deep his love is for us, we stop chasing validation from the world because our hearts are already full. I love the picture Paul paints here. When we’re filled with God’s love, we don’t have to walk into the world looking for something to fill us up. Instead, we can walk into the world with something to give away the hope, grace, and love of Jesus.

So today, my praise is that God’s love isn’t based on my performance. It’s based on his character. And I’m so thankful that his love is wide enough to reach us, deep enough to forgive us, and constant enough to fill us completely. My prayer for you today is the same prayer Paul prayed centuries ago, that you would know just how much Christ loves you, and that you would be filled to the measure with all the fullness of our God.

Congratulations to this week’s Name That Tune winner, Larry from Bellville! He correctly guessed “Speak Life” by TobyMac!

Thanks for listening to the Afternoon Drive!

-Daniel & Brock

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