Here’s a response from several Christian leaders around the USA to the new film, Noah, from a person I respect, and a Christian working in the mainstream movie industry, Phil Cooke.
Our advice is to discuss within your household, but don’t throw rocks at it or say it’s the best film ever until you’ve seen it. More on this next week!
-Joe
The Knox County Chapter of the American Red Cross honored local heroes Tuesday morning 3/4 at its 12th annual Heroes Breakfast. Marcy and I were honored in 2010 with the Humanitarian Hero award, so we know how special it is to be nominated and honored by your peers in the community!
There were ten heroes recognized:
Knox County Career Center ROTC instructors Master Sergeant Craig Cox and Colonel Chris Salvucci were named Armed Forces Heroes.
Local resident Carolyn Thompson was named Community Hero for her volunteer efforts to provide Christmas trees for elderly residents in assisted living facilities.
9-year-old Chloe Crawford is the 2014 Youth Hero for her generous donations to the Toys for Tots Program.
Judy and Alan Snode are this year’s Senior Heroes for their giving nature and gracious hearts. The Snodes volunteer for several community organizations and their church.
This year’s Workplace Heroes are Nathan Brake and Shaune Wylie from Bob Evans, who helped revive a woman who choked and then collapsed last August while eating breakfast in the restaurant.
The Education Hero for 2014 is Bruce Jacklin, who was honored for his many years teaching in the Mount Vernon City Schools and his work in promoting theatre and art in Knox County.
The 2014 Healthcare Hero is Dr. Robert Atwell, who volunteers tirelessly while maintaining his practice. He has served Kiwanis, the Chamber of Commerce, the Mount Zion Masonic Lodge, and many others.
The Public Service Hero award was given to seven members of the Fredericktown Police, Fire and EMS Departments for their work to rescue a young man who was pinned under a vehicle in December. The rescue team included Scott Mast, Dwayne Canter, Jason Whaley, Kyle Johnson, Nathan Gerhart, Kathy Miller and Josh Talbott.
The 2014 Agriculture Hero is Dr. Howard Sacks of Kenyon College, who founded the Rural Life Center and has championed local food efforts.
This year’s Humanitarian Heroes are Richard and Joan Stallard, who have dedicated countless hours to making our community a better place. Joan has worked with New Directions to promote healthy relationships, and Richard has worked with the Owl Creek Conservancy to help conserve farmland and stream lands.
Congratulations to all our local heroes!
-Joe
Five of our MVNU students and I had the opportunity to see a screening of ‘Son of God’ Sunday night 2/23 at the 2014 National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, TN. On Saturday night, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey spoke briefly at NRB about the film, their inspiration to share what they believe, and the fact it was opening on 3,100 screens nationwide – huge for a faith-based film. Clearly, their success in producing ‘The Bible’ miniseries got the attention of the entertainment community.
This is my personal response to the film without spoiling too much:
First, it is shot and acted beautifully. It is of very high quality. If you are not aware, the movie tells the story from John’s perspective in the Gospel of John. He narrates the film from the opening scene from his exile at Patmos where he tells us, “in the beginning was the Word…” and away we go. If you saw ‘The Bible,’ you’ll recognize some of the flashbacks and opening montage.
There is no question the movie takes a few artistic liberties, but that’s to be expected. The scene with Lazarus is different in the fact that Jesus enters the tomb instead of calling from outside of it. There is an almost Jedi-like ‘force push’ in one scene that shows this Jesus is no ordinary man. You’ll find your own subtle differences with the script vs. the actual scripture.
Since I saw ‘Passion of the Christ’ in the theater, ‘Son of God’ was not as emotionally wrenching for me as I thought going in. ‘Passion’ was such an intense, raw depiction of the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Christ that it would be hard to duplicate that. Was it emotionally stirring? Yes. But the reality is, having seen this play out before on the big screen, it wasn’t as emotional for me.
What sets this film apart from ‘Passion’ is that it goes beyond Calvary to the resurrection, the appearance to Thomas and the others, and the Ascension. I loved that.
For the people dismissing it because they don’t trust Mark Burnett and Roma Downey…forget that. The film is not about them! Yes, Roma plays Mary, Mother of Jesus, but the point is, I didn’t see any mocking or blatant abuse of the biblical story. It doesn’t advance some crazy theological viewpoint.
Here’s what I keep coming back to:
1- Many of us have children who were too young to see ‘Passion.’ Our Rachel was 5, so she just wasn’t ready. But she can see this film and I want her to. There’s a 10-15 year range of our “Millenial or iY” children that haven’t experienced the story of Jesus played out on the big screen. They need to see this – with their friends and church leaders who can be ready to respond to them. They VERY LIKELY will be emotionally impacted by the violence of the trial and crucifixion. Be there for them!
2- As NRB President Dr. Jerry Johnson said this past weekend, we should be thankful that Hollywood wants to make faith-based films and recognizes that there is an audience for them. I would hope we would support those films. We, as the body of Christ, in the marketplace and in the work force, must be ready to answer the questions that will inevitably result. Answering those questions with truth and love, remembering when we discovered the beauty and majesty of Jesus ourselves, should drive us to intersect with those seeking or those who feel compelled to renew or re-ignite their relationship with Him!
-Joe
The sun is shining! I will personally choose to ignore the gale-force winds and melting snow and focus only on the sunshine that has been missing from Ohio for the last month.
Natalie Grant’s second single from her 7th studio record “Hurricane” is her song “Closer to Your Heart”. You can check out the song at link #1 below. Natalie made a name for herself with her illustrious musical career, but she’s branching out as of late.
She’s hosting a new show on the Game Show Network called It Takes a Church. It features members of a Christian congregation that will play matchmaker to help a single church member find a match through a series of competitions. Natalie had this to say about the show: “I’m so excited to host It Takes a Church and have the opportunity to interact with churches all across America to bring a family friendly show based on Christian faith and values. Church has been such an anchor and source of hope in my own life, and I look forward to showing the sense of community that can be found in the local church.” (quote taken from broadwayworld.com)
Grant is taking to the screen again with an appearance in the upcoming film, Persecuted. Releasing this spring, she plays the role of Monica. Here is a brief summary of the film written by Daniel Lusko at IMDb.com:
“Nationally acclaimed evangelist John Luther is the last obstacle in the way of sweeping religious reform in the States. When a U.S. Senator and Luther’s own supporters abduct and frame him in the murder of an innocent teenage girl, an unprecedented era of persecution is unleashed. Out on personal recognizance, Luther escapes police surveillance in search of the truth. And suddenly, a once-normal life is targeted by a team of ex-military operatives who wage a relentless campaign to eliminate the incriminating evidence. As evangelist turned fugitive, Luther vows to expose anyone involved with or profiting from the girl’s murder; a mission that brings him face-to-face with the coming storm of persecution that will threaten the entire Christian community in America.”
You can find more information about the film at link #2 below.
As if being a nationally recognized Christian music star, appearing in a feature film, AND hosting a game show wasn’t enough, Natalie is also the narrator and producer of the documentary film “In Plain Sight: Stories of Hope and Freedom”. The film is part of a three-part campaign to stop sex trafficking in the United States. You can find more information by clicking link #3 below!
Have a fantastic weekend from the Afternoon Drive crew!
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SJ1fvTnzj4
2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1761005/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
It’s that time of year again — flowers, chocolates, cards, and teddy bears abound as people all over the country hurry to make their loved ones feel special. Regardless of whether you have a sweetie or not, never forget that God has a never ending, unconditional love for you. Happy Valentine’s Day from The Afternoon Drive and WNZR!
On this Friday’s edition of the NZ-Top 10, our featured back-to-back artist is Josh Wilson. We mentioned that Josh had a pretty cool moment in an airport in Newark, NJ: while there were major security delays, Josh whipped out his guitar and played some songs to entertain the crowd. Check out the viral clip here: http://youtu.be/HQeG1kaddsw
Enjoy Valentine’s day and have a great weekend!!!
In advance, happy Valentine’s Day from us here at the Afternoon Drive and WNZR!
The season of love is upon us and we’re celebrating with the 16th Annual WNZR Valentine’s Banquet. Unfortunately, tickets are no longer on sale, but we are excited to host this event for the community. The theme of the event is “Love Take Me Over”, after the Steven Curtis Chapman song of the same name. $1,000 worth of door prizes, a full Italian buffet (featuring chicken parm, fettuccine alfredo, salad, breadsticks, chocolate layer cake and more!), and a message about a Marriage Journey’s Top 10 from featured speakers Drs. Yvonne and Dennis Schultz are all part of the festivities. We hope to see you there!
The 2014 Winter Olympic Games are upon us, and it seems that all eyes are upon Sochi, Russia. You can keep up to date with Sochi by tuning into the More Than Gold Olympic Updates at 8:30am, 12:30pm, and 5:30pm on WNZR. You can also tune into the station on Wednesday for Who Knew?! Wednesday; Josh and Joe will be sharing some interesting Olympic facts with you to keep your brain ticking on your drive home.
WNZR is gearing up for Lifeline 2014, our annual fundraiser. We’re hoping to raise $60,000 to fund our station for the next year. We would appreciate any form of donation, but would greatly appreciate your prayers for our station in this time. If you would like to find out more information, please visit http://www.wnzr.fm.
Now, onto the point of the title of this post: something new! The Afternoon Drive will be making a concerted effort to AT LEAST write a blog post once a week. We want to connect with our listeners in a way that is much more than just a radio show, so subscribe and enjoy! Also don’t forget to follow us on twitter and like us on Facebook! Find us with these links:
http://www.twitter.com/WNZR_FM
http://www.facebook.com/wnzr.fm
And of course you can find anything WNZR related on our website, http://www.wnzr.fm.
Thank you so much for listening to The Afternoon Drive and WNZR!
-Joe, Josh and Rachel
NOTE: WNZR is happy to provide information regarding the County’s new text or email alert program.
Knox County has implemented an emergency mass notification system that will be used to contact local residents and businesses via phone messages, text messages, and emails in case of emergency or tornado warning.
The system is called “Knox Alerts” and will be used by the Emergency Management Agency to notify residents and businesses of emergencies or critical situations and provide information regarding necessary actions.
The system utilizes the telephone companies’ 9-1-1 database and is able to contact land-line telephone numbers, whether listed or unlisted. If the call is picked up by an answering machine, the system will leave a recorded message. If the number called is busy or does not answer, the system will redial the number up to 4 times in an attempt to deliver the message.
Cell phone numbers and/or email addresses must be registered online. To register, enter the below address into your web browser; or open the attached document to link to the site.
http://entry.inspironlogistics.com/knox_co_oh/wens.cfm
You must register to take advantage of this important notification service. Each telephone number and e-mail address registered will be contacted only when the street address it is associated with is impacted by a disaster or emergency.
THE MARKS OF MATURITY (from Tim Elmore)
1. A mature person is able to keep long-term commitments. JAMES 1:2-4
2. A mature person is unshaken by flattery or criticism. GALATIANS 1:10
3. A mature person possesses a spirit of humility. LUKE 14:11; ROMANS 12:3
4. A mature person’s decisions are based on character, not feelings. 2 TIMOTHY 2:22
5. A mature person expresses gratitude consistently. PSALM 118:24; COLOSSIANS 3:17
6. A mature person knows how to prioritize others before themselves. PHILIPPIANS 2:3; ROMANS 12:10
7. A mature person seeks wisdom before acting. ROMANS 1:21-23; JAMES 1:5
Today on the Afternoon Drive Joe and Josh are talking about helpful tips from the book “Who Knew? 10,001 Easy Solutions for Everyday Problems”. The topic of the day is laundry; if you have a stubborn stain and want rid of it easily, we’ve got the hook ups! Tune in to 90.9FM or listen online at http://WNZR.fm to hear more helpful laundry tips.
Here’s a link to a recipe to make home-made detergent tablets. If you love the convenience of these awesome little tablets, but don’t love the name brand price, you’re going to want to check this out!
http://www.savvysugar.com/All–One-Laundry-Bombs-31354476
-Josh and Joe
Driving Notes 