Devotionals

Who Knew Wednesday!

Today on Who Knew Wednesday Joe and I shared a bunch of information about the advent season!

We shared some information from Rob L. Staples who is a professor of theology emeritus at Nazarene Theological Seminary.

Advent is preparation for Christmas, not Christmas itself. It is only in commercial advertising that the Christmas season begins the first of December (or the first of October!). In the Christian calendar, Advent is the season including the four Sundays preceding Christmas. Christmas Day is December 25, and the Christmas Season itself is the 12 days from Christmas to Epiphany. Remember the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” with “a partridge in a pear tree?”

Epiphany, which celebrates the coming of the Magi, the first Gentiles to acknowledge Jesus as King, is January 6. Epiphany means “showing” or “unveiling” and thus “unveils” the truth that salvation was for Gentiles as well as Jews.

Advent differs from Christmas in the same way Lent differs from Easter. Both Advent and Lent are times of preparation—Advent for Christmas and Lent for Easter.

The Christian calendar, unlike the calendar on our walls or desks, does not begin January 1. It begins the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is that season when the Church turns its gaze in two directions—past and future. It looks backward as it prepares to celebrate the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, and it looks forward as it engages in self-examination in preparation for Christ’s Second Coming in glory.

The word “advent” comes from the Latin adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival.” Thus in certain contexts, it means the same as the Greek parousia. However, the latter term occurs in the New Testament only with reference to the Second Coming. During the Advent season, both these “comings” of Christ are embraced in the Church’s worship—His coming in the Incarnation and His coming at the end of the age.

Advent emphasizes hope, and it is this hope that makes Advent a proper preparation for Christmas.

Christian prayer during Advent might be summed up in the word “Come.” It is the “Come, Lord Jesus” with which the Book of Revelation ends. Some of the Advent hymns blend the joy of the Good News of Christ’s nativity with the expectation of the Second Coming. The hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” expresses the Advent hope, as does Charles Wesley’s hymn, “Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus.” Although Christ has been present in the world all along, we pray for His presence to take on a special intensity during Advent (Matthew 28:20).

God’s advent among us is so profound that we can never fully grasp the mystery of incarnate deity. So we must continue to remember and experience anew, year after year, the reality of light in the midst of the world’s darkness. At Advent, we experience the fear and joy and hope that Christian worship expresses in the story of God’s coming to judge the world in the form of a helpless Child lying in a manager who was to give His life to save His people from their sins.

This sheds light on our Christmas celebrations. Christmas is far richer and deeper than a mere sentimental remembrance of the birth of Jesus. Of course, we should value the

tenderness of the image of the “sweet little Jesus boy, born in a manger,” but Christmas means much more.

“Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!” is a reminder that the One who came to Bethlehem is indeed our Redeemer—the One into whose dying and rising we are baptized (Rom. 6:4), just as He was baptized in the Jordan and into our human condition.

As we move toward Christmas, let us not skip Advent!

What we see as we worship may be almost as important as what we hear. Some churches use an Advent wreath as an aid to worship during the Advent season. It is a circular evergreen wreath with five candles, four around the edge of the wreath and one in the center.

Usually, three candles are purple (the color of Advent), and one pink or rose-colored. The three purple candles may represent hope, peace, and love. The pink or rose candle stands for joy at the soon advent of the Savior.

On each Sunday of Advent, one new candle is lighted, accompanied by appropriate Scripture reading. In the center is a white candle, called the Christ Candle, which is lighted on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, or if there are no services on those days it may be lighted on the fourth Sunday of Advent, along with the pink candle.

We also played the Christmas Gift Exchange! Congratulations to Becky from Mount Vernon who got to play and pick something from under our tree and was registered to win our grand prize! Click HERE if you want more information.

Here is our Troyer’s Trivia question:

Can you name two out of the top five of the worst gifts from the 12 days of Christmas?

Answers:

Maids a milking – 19
Lords a Leaping – 18
Geese a Laying – 14
Drummers Drumming – 11
Partridge in a Pear Tree – 11
Calling Birds – 7
Pipers Piping – 6
Turtle Doves – 6
French Hens – 5
Swans a Swimming – 3

Congratulations to Dallas from Utica who guessed Maids a milking and Geese a Laying and those answers won him that $5 gift card to Troyer’s of Apple Valley!

Thanks for checking out our blog!

– Hannah and Joe

December 19, 2018 0

Praise Thursday: Week 3

Today Joe and I dove back into our devotional, Fearless: overcoming the stronghold of fear. Fear is something almost all of us will battle during our lifetime, trying to paralyze you from truly living life. This devotional will lead you through five choices that will strengthen you and help you be victorious over fear.

Today’s choice is: Choose love over hate

Psychologists say that the base of all emotions is either love or fear. The brain also dictates that it cannot hold two contradictory thoughts simultaneously and that the most robust thought pattern wins. In your battle against fear, one of the greatest weapons at your disposal is love. You are loved—more than you know. Once you realize how very loved you are, you can garner the strength to fight this spirit of fear. God gives us a spirit of love and not one of fear.

Learn to live—loved. A loving heart is a loved heart. You cannot say you love others yet hate yourself—or them. Fear would have you traverse the complex road of unforgiveness and hate. These two concepts bind you further in chains. A forgiving heart is a forgiven heart and in that, there is no place for hate. Fear will lie to you and keep you captive, whereas love guides you into freedom. Love is the way of the kingdom of God.

My daughter and I prayed, shortly after the armed robbery, to forgive the men who attacked us, and we had to do it numerous times. God’s love quiets our anxious or fearful hearts. His love enables us to forgive and bless. It’s not easy, but that is the narrow road of the Kingdom of God.

When fear knocks at your door with its accomplices, unforgiveness, and hate, then respond in the opposite spirit and let love lead.

How can you embrace the love of God so that you can be set free from the chains of fear?

The verses we reflected on today:

Luke 10:27 – “He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
1 John 4:18 – ” There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
Zephaniah 3:17 – ” The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love, he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Our prayer:

“Lord, help me remember that you give me a spirit of love and not one of fear and that when I understand just the smallest bit how much you love me, I have the greatest weapon against fear. Fear doesn’t have a chance against Your great love, and we praise you for that. Help me to not get caught in the chains of this world, in the chains of unforgiveness and hate. Nudge my heart when I head down the road of unforgiveness and hate and remind me that a forgiving heart is a forgiven heart; and in that, there is no place for hate. Give me the courage to lay my fears and hurts at your feet and to forgive as you have forgiven me. Amen”

You will never guess what game we played 😉 The WNZR Christmas Gift exchange! Congratulations to Charla for Utica and Casey from Apply Valley who were caller number nines! If you want to know more about this, click HERE.

Thank you for checking out our blog!

-Hannah and Joe

December 13, 2018 0

Praise Thursday!

Today we checked in with Joe again live from the Fredericktown Tomato Show and talked about what went down.

If you would like to know how to win a prize from WNZR at the Fredericktown Tomato Show click HERE for more information!

If you would like to see the full schedule and more for the 42nd Fredericktown Tomato Show click HERE.

We also started where we left off last week with Praise Thursday in “Let’s Pray’ By James Banks! Here a little bit of what we talked about! We prayed these verses –

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³    he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

and

Psalm 68: 7-10

7 When you, God, went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness,^[d]
⁸the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
⁹You gave abundant showers, O God;
you refreshed your weary inheritance.
¹⁰Your people settled in it,
and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.

Thank you for your support of the Afternoon Drive!

Hannah Radke

September 6, 2018 0

Praise Thursday

Lilly and I started a new section of the devotional by James Banks called “Let’s Pray”.

Today we prefaced for the prayers we are going to share next time about everyday prayers.

Here what we said:

Sometimes we rush into heavens throne room with a list. Though God’s word encourages us to “come boldly unto the throne of our gracious God”, there are moments when I wonder if I’m a little too bold. When my mind is filled with the things of this earth, I can only imagine what it looks like in heaven…

Imagine the father, seated on the throne and ruling in glory, “high and exalted.’ Around his throne, our seraphs, Hiding their faces and in worship before the awesome wonder of the ancient of days. And like a child bursting in without knocking, here I come, making all of my wants and wishes known.

Rough as that picture is, there still a grace-filled beauty to it. I am a child, a child of the father saved by faith in his crucified son. I can come boldly and entirely without fear because God is “Abba, father “. He knows my daily needs and cares deeply about them. It’s not priority he’s concerned about but it’s the condition of my heart. And the more my heart matures, the more it will be in rhythm with his own. God wants us to grow and “mature’ in our understanding of what it means to have a relationship with him.

Andrew Murray explains, the little boy may ask of the father only what it needs for itself; and yet it soon learn is to say, “give it some for my sister too.’ But the grown-up Son, who only gives for the father’s interest and takes charge of the fathers business, asks more largely and gets all of that is asked.

Prayers about everyday needs, help us maintain perspective. They are not only about things necessary for life on earth – they’re also about our deepest need: A growing relationship with our father in heaven. Jesus makes this priority for our living and asking very clear: “seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” God wants us to bring our every day needs to him with faith and expectation so that we will live in loving dependence on him and you know the blessing of being caught up in his purposes. He is the “author of life”, and we exist for him and because of him. And his kindness, he wants to bless us and drop us near with love that gives life to our souls. There is no blessing greater than God.

Click HERE if you want to know more about The WNZR Sonfest Sync It Contest!!

Thank you for listening!

Hannah Radke

August 30, 2018 0

Prayers of confession and humility

Today, we continue sharing devotionals from the book Let’s Pray: Talking to God with the Words of the Bible, by Dr. James Banks, who serves as a pastor at Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina and is a regular writer for Our Daily Bread.

In this short book, we are reminded that the prayers of the Bible are an amazing gift from God and they have so much to teach us.

This week, we continue to share prayers from the Word to confess sin and to humble ourselves.

Dr. Banks writes that of all of Jesus’ names and titles, the one that he likes best is the one that the Pharisees gave him: Friend of Sinners. It may have been one of Jesus’ favorites too, because in Luke 19:10 he said he “came to seek and save those who are lost.” Friend of Sinners best captures the reason He came. Why is that? Because a true friend will love you even when you don’t deserve it and will look for you when you’ve lost your way. Jesus does all of that and more. John 15:13 reminds us that there is “no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

All of us like friendship, but we need to remember that friendship is a two-way street. So as we think of Jesus as our friend, we need to ask ourselves – what kind of friend am I to Jesus? If I’m someone’s friend I’m going to care about our relationship. I’ll be mindful of things that could be hurtful or cause distance between us. Nothing causes Jesus more pain than sin. Remembering how much my sins cost Jesus helps me be a better friend to him. So the Bible’s prayers of confession and humbling ourselves before God also remind us to be a better friend.

Today we’re addressing what we do when we are faced with overwhelming guilt. One verse that we can pray is Psalm 38…

¹Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.
²Your arrows have pierced me,
    and your hand has come down on me.
³Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
    there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
⁴My guilt has overwhelmed me
    like a burden too heavy to bear.

⁵My wounds fester and are loathsome
    because of my sinful folly.
⁶I am bowed down and brought very low;
    all day long I go about mourning.
⁷My back is filled with searing pain;
    there is no health in my body.
⁸I am feeble and utterly crushed;
    I groan in anguish of heart.

¹⁸I confess my iniquity;
I am troubled by my sin.

Then follow with Psalm 119, verses 169-176:

¹⁶⁹May my cry come before you, Lord;
    give me understanding according to your word.
¹⁷⁰May my supplication come before you;
    deliver me according to your promise.
¹⁷¹May my lips overflow with praise,
    for you teach me your decrees.
¹⁷²May my tongue sing of your word,
    for all your commands are righteous.
¹⁷³May your hand be ready to help me,
    for I have chosen your precepts.
¹⁷⁴I long for your salvation, Lord,
    and your law gives me delight.
¹⁷⁵Let me live that I may praise you,
    and may your laws sustain me.
¹⁷⁶I have strayed like a lost sheep.
    Seek your servant,
    for I have not forgotten your commands.

Thanks for listening!
– Todd and Joe

August 23, 2018 0

Prayers of confession

Today, guest hosts Eddie and Cierra continued sharing devotionals from the book Let’s Pray: Talking to God with the Words of the Bible, by Dr. James Banks, who serves as a pastor at Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina and is a regular writer for Our Daily Bread.

In this short book, we are reminded that the prayers of the Bible are an amazing gift from God and they have so much to teach us.

This week, we’re continuing to share prayers from the word to confess sin and to humble ourselves.

Dr. Banks writes that of all of Jesus’ names and titles, the one that he likes best is the one that the Pharisees gave him: Friend of Sinners. It may have been one of Jesus’ favorites too, because in Luke 19:10 he said he “came to seek and save those who are lost.” The title Friend of Sinners captures the reason he came better than any other title. Why is that? Because a true friend will love you even when you don’t deserve it and will look for you when you’ve lost your way. Jesus does all of that and more. John 15:13 reminds us that there is “no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

There is a lot of honesty in these prayers. 2 Samuel 7:20 says, “You know what your servant is really like.” Psalm 19:12 says, “how can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.”

There’s a real humility in these prayers and a description of what sin does to us. In Psalm 31:10 it says, “sin has drained my strength…I am wasting away from within.” Psalm 40 says, “My sins pile up so high I can’t see my way out.”

All of these prayers clearly show God’s holiness, plus a humble admission that his judgment of sin is justified and the discipline he gives is deserved…

But you also find JOY.

Psalm 32 verses 1 through 2 says, “Oh what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven; whose sin is put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt; whose lives are lived in complete honesty.”

Psalm 66 reminds us, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” So these prayers are teaching us the best way to pray and mark the path that leads to our Savior’s heart. God has left us these prayers in the word to show us the way back to him.

The Bible reminds us that God knows us completely…yet he still loves us. Our final verse today is 2 Samuel 7:20-22, which says, “What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, sovereign Lord. Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant. How great you are, O, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!”

Thanks for listening!
– Joe, Lilly and Todd

August 16, 2018 0

More prayers of praise!

We continue today sharing devotionals from the book Let’s Pray: Talking to God with the Words of the Bible, by Dr. James Banks, who serves as a pastor at Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina and is a regular writer for Our Daily Bread.

In this short book, we are reminded that the prayers of the Bible are an amazing gift from God and they have so much to teach us. They help us understand how our Bible heroes like Jesus, Job, Mary, Moses, David, Samuel, and many others talked with God. These prayers can also help us talk to God. Just as Jesus used several of David’s prayers in his final moments on the cross in Matthew 27, we can find the prayers of scripture.

This is what Alex and Stephen Kendrick talk about in their book The Battle Plan for Prayer in the chapter called ‘Praying the Word.’ In the prayers of scripture, we find words that can help carry our thoughts and emotions to God. When we use the prayers from God’s word, humbly and with expectation, to encourage us in our own prayers, we can open our hearts and lives to deeper faith, renewed strength, blessings and God’s power. God invites us closer to him through the prayers of the Bible.

Today we’re going to share a couple more prayers to praise and honor God.

This is what Dr. Banks writes: true praise is praise with an active faith that is greater than just emotion. It is a daring thing. It challenges us to reach for something beyond ourselves, giving ourselves up to God.

Our first prayer today from the word comes from Psalm 104, where we are reminded that he created EVERYTHING:

Praise the Lord, my soul.Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
²The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent
³ and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.
⁴He makes winds his messengers,^[a]
flames of fire his servants.

⁵He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.
⁶You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
⁷But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
⁸they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.
⁹You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.

¹⁰He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
¹³He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
¹⁴He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:
¹⁵wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,

¹⁹He made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
²⁰You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

²⁴How many are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

The next prayer is: NO ONE CAN MEASURE YOUR GREATNESS from Psalm 145:

¹I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
²Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name forever and ever.
³Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
⁴One generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
and I will declare your greatness.
⁷They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd

July 19, 2018 0

Praise Thursday: A New Series!

Today Lilly and I jumped right into a new book that will be a series for the next few weeks!

This book is called ” Can God Be Trusted in Our Trials?” by Tony Evans – That title pretty much sums up what this book is about.

We started where most people start books, chapter one! This chapter was titled “Our trials have a positive purpose.”

Today on the show we talked about the first two sections of chapter 1.

The first section that we coved was the introduction. This laid the groundwork for what trials are. The “Biblical definition of trials…are adverse or negative circumstances that God either brings about directly or allows in order to develop us spiritually.”

In this introduction, we also shared a verse, that I believe we will be talking about a lot, that is:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4

We sum up this part with the quote “God is not telling us to be joyful about the pain but about the purpose and the outcome of the pain, which is our spiritual completeness and maturity.

We then started the second section, which is titled “Joy Vs. Happiness” – We talked about how happiness is more of a feeling and how our happiness levels can change within a second. “Our feelings respond to the information we are fed to them, whether it is true or not.”

We will be continuing this topic next week!

Thank you so much for tuning in to the Afternoon Drive! – Hannah Radke

April 5, 2018 0

Game Time Tuesday!

Today Lilly and I shared with you lots of information about our NEW event to Lifeline – A 5K run, walk, and bike! Click HERE for more information!

We also got to talk to Joe and Marcy who are in Nashville at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. They’ve had some really awesome opportunities to meet Alex Kendrick and see a South Korean choir! Here are some pictures!

Today we gave you two chances to win a $5 gift card to Troyer’s of Apple Valley!

First, we played ‘Song Poetry” and our lyrics for today were

You’ve counted every breath
Each hair upon my head
You know exactly who I am
And will always

From the song “All that Matters” by Colton Dixon – Congratulations to Francesca from Mount Vernon who won Song Poetry!

Then we played selling EEB-

Our theme today was was polar bears and our word was arctic. Congrats to Sandye from Mount Vernon who correctly spelled arctic backwards!

We also shared with a devotional from the late Billy Graham! Click HERE to read that.

Thank you for listening!
– Hannah Radke

February 27, 2018 0

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