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Driving Notes

The Official Blog of WNZR's Afternoon Drive

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Family Feud

Forever Jesus Shall Reign!

Today we talked about some of the songs we get to listen to on WNZR, and highlighted the songs “Hymn of Heaven” by Phil Wickham and “When I Fall” by Katy Nichole.

In Phil Wickham’s song, we worship Jesus for Him and who He is. We know and remember in this song that Jesus is forever victorious and all-powerful, regardless of our circumstances, or what may be going on in the world right now.

Katy Nichole expresses through her song how we desperately need God’s help. Whether we’re on a high mountaintop or the lowest of valleys, we need Jesus. This song is Katy Nichole’s cry for help, and we related this song to the Scripture in Matthew 11:28-30, where it says “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” He wants us to come to Him as we are. He is faithful to give us rest for us.

Today we played Mystery Monday! Here was the prompt we had this week, with the top four answers:

Name a common item people forget to take with them when leaving the house.

  1. Keys (50)
  2. Phone (25)
  3. Wallet (15)
  4. Sunglasses (10)

Congratulations to Pat from Mount Vernon for calling in and guessing the top two answers correctly, taking home that $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica! Tune in tomorrow for Artist Newsday and Song Poetry!

Thank you so much for listening!
– Joe and Ethan

There’s no such thing…

As perfect people. Today, I was teaching about servant leadership and we started talking about the leadership habits of Jesus from the book, “Lead Like Jesus…”
They are:

  • solitude
  • prayer
  • study and application of scripture
  • accepting and responding to God’s unconditional love
  • involvement in supportive relationships

    …as we talked and discussed the decision to accept and embrace God’s love, I was reminded of this song by Natalie Grant…

Our winners today –
4pm: Kim from Mount Vernon wins a gift basket from Starting Point Pregnancy and Family Resource Center
5pm: Jackie from Howard wins a $10 gift card to Happy Bean Coffee Shop

Other than their beds, name somewhere people fall asleep.

  1. On an airplane (27 votes)
  2. On the way home from work on a bus or train (24)
  3. At their desks at work (23)
  4. On the couch or chair (19)
  5. On the floor (7)

Congratulations to Pam from Mount Vernon, who guessed correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

Spread the Love starts up!

Cody Carnes ‘Firm Foundation’ leads our Monday Motivation today. “When everything around me is shaken, I’ve never been more glad, that I put my faith in Jesus. He’s never let me down.”

Spread the Love started today! Congratulations to our winners!
4pm hour: Lisa from Mount Vernon won a Valentine’s Bag from Starting Point Pregnancy and Family Resource Center
5pm hour: Haley from Mount Vernon won a $10 gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings!

Other than breakfast eggs and omelets, name something made with eggs.

  1. Cakes (31)
  2. Cookies (26)
  3. Pies (21)
  4. Easter eggs (12)
  5. Quiche (10)

Congratulations to Stacy from Mount Vernon, who guessed correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

The simplicity of claiming this: God is Good.

I probably need Monday Motivation as much as anyone today. My week has started well, but to be honest, I’m just tired of bad news. Maybe you’re feeling it, too. 2025 has not started as any of us expected. New Orleans, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, the snow, the cold, family and friends dealing with health struggles. So today (and every day) I’m claiming this truth and this song from Francesca Battistelli: God is Good.

Joy comes, tears fall
I’m learning there is beauty in it all
It’s not hard to find it, you just have to look
Oh, God is good

I’ve said Hellos and goodbyes
and I’ve held my friends while they’ve cried
Tasted bitter and sweet
Those moments between
Oh, He’s had his hand on everything

Other than chocolate chip, name a popular cookie:
1 – Oreo (51 votes)
2- Oatmeal (22)
T2 – Sugar cookies (22)
4 – Peanut butter
5 – Girl Scout cookies

Congratulations to Lisa from Mount Vernon, who guessed the top two answers and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Brandon from Mount Vernon!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

Beauty? On a day like today?

On a snowy Monday coming out of the New Year, it might be really tough to think of beauty. Cold, snow, ice, slush, mixed with plows, cars, trucks and snow blowers might not be our idea of beautiful…so today’s Monday Motivation comes from artist Dan Bremnes and his song ‘Beautiful,’ which has nothing to do with external beauty, but the beauty that comes from a life renewed in Christ.

Dan cites the inspiration for the song from one of his favorite verses, 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” He shares: “I wrote this song a few years ago when I came back to God as a prodigal. I was a wounded and a broken person and God really took my life and changed it. He made something new out of it. I hope when people hear this song that their reminded of the work God has started in their life and the work that God continually does.”

Name something that you might associate with a bookstore other than books.

  1. Magazines (23)
  2. Greeting cards (21)
  3. DVDs, records or CD’s (20)
  4. Coffee (19)
  5. Chairs or reading areas (17)

Congratulations to Regina from Mount Vernon, who guessed the top two answers correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

The ‘label’ that matters most

I’m not a big ‘New Year’s Resolution’ guy. Yes, I care about self-reflection and getting better, but I feel like I do this throughout the year, not just at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. One of the sermons I heard recently that really caught my attention was our MVNU Chaplain, Rev. Dave Mills, sharing about the Christmas concept we hear about all season, “good tidings of great joy.” Dave challenged us to embrace that phrase by identifying and pushing back against what steals our joy.

One ‘joy stealer’ Dave mentioned was the labeling we allow to define us. The things people say about us that we allow to define us. Honestly, one label I’ve been wrestling with this year is ‘old.’ I turned 56 this year and it’s amazing the sub-labels that start flying your way when you hit that 55+ mark. It becomes even more difficult when you’re surrounded by 18-23 year-olds all the time! I realize that I need to draw closer to the Holy Spirit so I can find joy in my years and my experiences and also focus on the only label that really matters – child of the one true King!!

Dave reminded us that our calling is TOO GREAT to live in these joy-stealing areas! Here’s a song to lead you there – Megan Woods, “The Truth.”

Name a household chore that no one likes to do!
1- cleaning the bathroom (45 votes)
2- washing dishes (25)
3- vacuuming (20)
4- doing laundry (10)

Congratulations to Lori of Mount Vernon, who guessed correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

The Rock on Which I Stand

Cody Carnes’ ‘Firm Foundation’ is our Monday Motivation song today.

Here’s what Cody shared about the inspiration behind the song: “In such a shaky season, it was burning in my heart to write a song that declared what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 7. It says, Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. The world can be in chaos all outside our windows, but when we build our house on Jesus, we can have confidence knowing that our foundation is secure. We’re not going down! This song celebrates that truth. It was me singing my way out of fear by declaring a truth! I pray it blesses you.”

What’s another word for garbage?
1. Trash (42 votes)
2. Junk (22)
3. Waste (12)
4. Rubbish (5)
5. Litter (2)

Congratulations to Jackie and her kids from Howard, who guessed correctly and win the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Today’s ticket voucher winner is Rhonda from Fredericktown!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

Running back to the table, back to our hope!

Seph Schlueter’s (SHLEE-tur) new song, ‘Running Back to You,’ is our Monday Motivation song today. The Erie, Ohio native shares this about his latest release:
“This song is one of wanting people to understand the joy and freedom that comes from knowing the Gospel, knowing what Jesus did. The Gospel literally means good news, but for too much of the church, we think it’s just okay news. But this is the best news ever!
Romans tells us the Gospel is the power of salvation to all who believe that it literally brought us from death to life, from slavery to freedom, and we get to live in that reality now. And it’s so exciting, it’s such a joyful thing. And so, ‘Running Back To You’ is a reminder that no matter where we’ve been, no matter how far we’ve wandered, the beauty of the Gospel is that we have a God who welcomes us in with open arms, who calls us back to the table, and who still loves us.”

Let’s come back to the table…and come back to hope!

Name an animal that would be very quiet if you kept it as a pet:

Snake (28 votes)
Fish (26)
Cat (17)
Lizard (12)
Worm (5)
Tarantula and Bat (3 each)

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

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

Seeing the creator’s hand…everywhere.

Today’s Monday Motivation song is Leanna Crawford’s ‘How Can You Not?’ Inspired by, believe it or not, fireflies (or, some might say, lightning bugs).

Leanna shares, “I actually wrote that song…(while) my parents were visiting me in Nashville. My sister and I moved there together five years ago, and we moved from the good old northwest. And in the northwest there are no fireflies, but of course in this part of the country, fireflies everywhere. And so not growing up with them, I just think it’s the coolest thing every summer, every year to see them. Well, my dad had never seen fireflies and they were going to be there. My parents were there for a whole week.
And during firefly season, the height of it, and we were about to see some fireflies. I don’t know where they were. We went on walks every single night, not a single firefly was found. The night before, they’re about to fly home where there’s no fireflies. So sad. We go for one final walk and we are walking by this field, and I’ve walked by this field like 100 times, and I’d never seen anything like this. It lit up. It looked like stars were in the field just full of fireflies. And my dad looked over to us and he just said, ‘How can you not see a creator?’ And that’s where this song came from.”

Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.’ (Jeremiah 32:17)

What desserts do kids like?

Cake (24 votes)
Ice Cream (21)
Candy (16)
Cookies (16)
Pie (7)
Pudding (3)
Popsicle (3)

Congratulations to Karen, who guessed those top two answers and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

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