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We Are Full!!!

On this week’s Monday Motivation we gave Easter themed motivation and played Mystery Monday with a family feud style question. Here’s what we talked about:

Joe’s Motivation: This past week was filled with many darkness times. It’s important in this time we focus on the light. Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV) – “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” We need to find the joy and the light in harsh times. It’s easy to wallow in our sadness and it’s not what we should be doing.

Gabriella’s Motivation: John 15:5 says that we should “abide” in Him. To abide in Christ means we “live, dwell, and remain” with Him. It’s important we pray through the good and the bad. In order to be full we have to lean on Christ as His disciples did during the Last Supper. We may try to be self-sufficient, but it will never consistent without Him.

Name something cats and men have in common. 

  1. Love sleeping (11) 
  1. Being lazy (11) 
  1. Sneaky (10) 
  1. Hairy/whiskers (10) 
  1. Finicky/stubborn (7) 
  1. Like petting (6) 

Congratulations to Tracy of Howard for guessing the top two answers and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for Artist Newsday and Gametime Tuesday with Ethan and Joe!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

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Devil Get Behind Me!!

On this week’s Praise Thursday we shared devotionals tied to our Lifeline 2026 Theme and played a game of Name That Tune! Here’s what we talked about:

Brook Abella’s Devotion: When I was on my spring break I was having such a great time. I went to my favorite beach and spent time with my friends. I thought it was so much fun and that it couldn’t get any better than this. When we were on vacation we found out our family cat died. We’ve had her for 15 years and it was a hard thing to come back to. This reminded me of Ecclesiastes 3:4 “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance”. I understood that there is a time to weep and now I have to focus on my future and present.

Gabriella’s Devotion: 1 Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” The God of all Grace. May the God of all grace settle you. May the God of all Grace strengthen you. May the God of all Grace establish you and make you perfect. May the God of all Grace make you whole. May the Lord God give you strength to overcome, and conquer every tactic and weapon of the enemy.

Joe’s Devotion: In class we talked about the three C’s of our department and one of the things that led to was a talk on identity. Everyone has struggled with who they are or want to be, but as Christians we are God’s chosen people. We are his children. We are made in his perfect image. You are completely accepted (Titus 3:7), you are extremely valuable (Ephesians 2:10), you are eternally loved (Hebrews 2:11), you are forgiven (Romans 8:1), you are fully capable (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

This year’s Theme – “God Did It!” by Micah Tyler

This year’s Theme Verse is Psalm 115:1 (NIV)- “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”

Our Name That Tune was Worthy of It All by CeCe Winans! Congratulations to Heather of Mount Vernon for guessing correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for the NZ Top 10 with Ethan and Joe!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Gabriella, Brook Abella, and Joe 🙂

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Spring FEVER!!

On this week’s Who Knew Wednesday we talked about spring centered who knew facts and did our Who Am I trivia! Here’s what we talked about:

Who Knew Fact: Are birds more vocal during spring? Spring is the breeding season, causing birds to sing more to attract mates and warn rivals. 

Who Knew Fact: National awkward moment day! Embrace and laugh off the cringeworthy, embarrassing social stumbles we all experience.

Who Knew Fact: “Spring fever” is a real thing? Yes. The increase in daylight and sunlight triggers the release of serotonin in the brain, which makes people feel happier and more energetic. 

Who Knew Fact: The Lifeline challenge is back for 2026? We are looking for 250 individuals to take on the lifeline challenge by giving $25 per month! Will you take one the challenge?

  1. I was born on March 18, 1979, in Los Angeles, California. 
  1. I am best known as the lead singer and frontman of the pop-rock band Maroon 5. 
  1. Before Maroon 5, I was in a band called Kara’s Flowers, which later evolved into Maroon 5 after a style change. 
  1. I gained widespread popularity not only through music but also as a coach on the TV show The Voice. 
  1. I am also known for my distinctive tattoos, many of which cover my arms and torso and often have personal meanings. 

I am… Adam Levine! Congratulations to Nicole of Mount Vernon for guessing correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for Praise Thursday with Joe, Brook Abella, and Gabriella!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Gabriella 🙂

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Summer Vibes for This Winter Weather!!

On this week’s Monday Motivation we shared motivation through this years Lifeline Theme and played a game of family feud for our Mystery Monday! Here’s what we talked about:

Joe’s Motivation: There was nothing until God spoke, he has done so many things for us when we’ve done nothing to deserve it. He spoke and then there was everything. We wouldn’t exist without him and sometimes we take it for granted. Especially on days like this it’s so easy to be negative, but it’s important we breathe and remember our Father is taking care of us.

Gabriella’s Motivation: Our theme reminds us to take a step back and remember what God has done and will continue to do for us. We have blessing every day and some are taken for granted, but we are reminded to take a step back and count on His glory. We are made with a purpose; to glorify the Lord and tell others about Him. None of us would be where we are without him.

Name an occasion that just wouldn’t be the same without hot dogs.

  1. Baseball game (37)
  2. Holiday (31)
  3. Wedding/Party (19)
  4. Cookout/ Barbecue (7)
  5. Picnic (3)

Congratulations to Karen of Mount Vernon for guessing the top two answers and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for Artist Newsday and Game Time Tuesday with Ethan!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

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Say a Prayer Even When You’re at the Top!!

On this week’s Monday Motivation and Mystery Monday we gave motivation related to scripture and did our Danny Gokey Giveaway, plus we did our Family Feud Style trivia! Here’s what we talked about:

Joe’s Motivation: My devotion is from KB when he spoke at our momemtum trip last summer. The two hardest things to get caught up in is our own comfort and success. Those two things focus on ourselves and takes away from God. The want and almost need to be comfortable is close being idolized. Our comfort is getting in the way being involved in our church and small groups. God needs to be the center on of our life. We always pray to God during our hardship times, but we need to prayer during our success.

Gabriella’s Motivation: My devotion is from YouVersion. Finding your purpose is a hard thing to do no matter your age or gender. The two things you always have to ask is “am I an active Christian?” and “is it on God’s timing?”. You always have to keep in mind if you’re a negative person it’s hard to live a positive lifestyle. People should be able to look at you and see you’re a Godly person.

Catch Danny, We Are Messengers, and special guest Jon Reddick for “The Hope Nights Tour”, with joy, worship, hope, at the center of each night! It’s at the Archbold Evangelical Church, Archbold, OH 43502 on Friday, March 13. Doors open at 6:15pm and the show starts at 7pm! This is a great opportunity to take your friends and family out for the weekend! Listen to The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive THIS WEEK for your chance to WIN tickets to this concert! Congratulations to Paul of Mount Vernon for taking home TWO pairs of tickets!

What month does the neighborhood slacker take down his Christmas lights?

  1. Never (22)
  2. February (17)
  3. March (16)
  4. April (10)
  5. July (10)
  6. June (10)

Congratulations to Bob of Howard for guessing the top two answers correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for Artist Newsday and Game Time Tuesday with Gabriella and Ethan!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

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Chocolate Covered EVERYTHING!!

Today on Who Knew Wednesday we gave some out of pocket Who Knew Facts and our Who Am I Trivia! Here’s what we talked about!

Who Knew Wednesday: Inconvenience yourself day – Go out of your way to do something!

Who Knew Wednesday: I can only imagine 2 IN THEATERS NOWW!!!!!

Who Knew Wednesday: National Chocolate Covered Nuts Day – What’s your favorite? Peanuts, almonds, cashews, maccadamia? Click HERE to read some of our dad jokes we shared!

You have one more chance to win a pair of tickets tomorrow, on The Morning Thing! Be prepared to be the first caller to call in and tell us your blessing!

Who am I? 

  1. I was born today, in 1963, in Columbus, Ohio. 
  1. I made my Major League Baseball debut in 1985 with the Cincinnati Reds. 
  1. I am best known for playing right field for the New York Yankees from 1993 to 2001, where I was a key part in their championship teams. 
  1. I won five World Series championships: 1 with the Reds (1990) and four with the Yankees (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000). 
  1. After retiring in 2001, I became a television broadcaster and analyst for the Yankees on the YES Network.

I am… Paul O’Neil!! Congratulations to Steve of Mansfield for guessing our Who Am I correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for Praise Thursday With Brook Abella and Joe!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

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Behavior Indicates What We Believe!!

Today for Monday Motivation we talked about our identity in Christ, started The Afternoon Drive’s first “Give Us Your Blessing Giveaway”, and played our family fued for Mystery Monday! Here’s what we talked about:

Joe’s Motivation:

The Cretan Church. Cultural problems affecting the church: if you lied, you were a Cretan! Titus 1:12. Liars, evil brutes, and lazy gluttons. Jewish Cretan Christians. In that order. Detestable, disobedient.

  1. Moral looseness – sensuality normalized. 
  2. Deceptive speech – truth was flexible.
  3. Laziness and indulgence – discipline was rare
  4. Story-driven spiritually – myths more attractive than the truth 

False teaching doesn’t usually deny truth. It dilutes it. Making it less powerful. Be careful of taking away the power of the gospel.

Why does this matter today?? The greatest threat to the modern church is not persecution, it is profession without transformation.

They claim to know God, but their actions deny him. Colossians 3:1-11. Set your hearts on things above. When you come to Christ, that is now your culture. A follower of Jesus. He transforms you. How do we live and dwell when we’re Christians? Transformation. Our culture applauds belief as long as it costs nothing. Being a Christian is tough and it costs something. You are going to wrestle with everything. How do I be a Christian and do this? (Fill in the blank) He’ll give us strength and hope as we wrestle.

But…Scripture never separates belief from behavior. It does the opposite. Behavior indicates what we believe. Romans 3. Paul wants Titus to understand that the Gospel should be changing everything. They say they know Jesus, but deny His power.

Claim vs action. It’s that simple. Our question? How is it changing us? Me? You? If we believe that the Gospel has power, we have to stop living like Cretans. We have to yield to the Gospel.

Gabriella’s Monday Motivation: Guilt should not be a paralyzing burden of blame, but rather a tool for spiritual growth that leads to repentance, healing, and deeper reliance on grace. Instead of staying stuck in shame, we are called to turn guilt into gratitude by accepting Christ’s forgiveness, replacing guilt with the joy of freedom in Him. Here’s some steps to move forward:

  1. Turn Guilt into Gratitude: Instead of dwelling on a mistake, let it remind you of how much grace you’ve been given. This creates a heart of gratitude that motivates you to live better.
  2. Stop “Worshiping” Your Mistakes: Remaining stuck in guilt is like worshiping your failures rather than God’s mercy. Accept that you cannot pay for your own sins—Jesus already did.
  3. Focus on Identity, Not Action: Your identity is “child of God” and “new creation,” regardless of your performance
  4. Hebrews 8:12: “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Based on His sacrifice, Christ will never bring up our past sins and he will treat them like they never happened.

An exciting NEW Contest is coming to The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive Monday February 23rdthrough Wednesday February 25th! Listen to The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive for the “Tell Us Your Blessing Giveaway”! Tune in at 7:30am and 4:30pm for the “Tell Us Your Blessing Giveaway”. We are going to open up the phones at both of those times and the first person to call in and share a blessing wins TWO tickets to the Seph Schlueter concert at Crossroads Church in Mansfield on Thursday night. Go to our website wnzr.fm for more information! Congratulations to Brad of Bellville for sharing his blessings and taking home a pair of tickets to Seph Schlueter’s concert!

Name something that contains the word ‘mac.’ 

  1. Macaroni 
  1. Big Mac 
  1. Macintosh 
  1. Mac Book or iMac 
  1. McDonald’s 
  1. A McIntosh apple 

Congratulations to Sue of Mount Vernon for guessing the top two answers correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Resturant in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for Artist Newsday and Gametime Tuesday with Ethan and Xander!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

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Be a Leader!!

Brook Abella’s Devotion: The story of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52 (also Luke 18:35-43) features a blind beggar in Jericho who refuses to be silenced by the crowd. As Jesus passes, Bartimaeus shouts, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” defying social pressure to stay quiet, and persists louder despite rebukes, ultimately receiving sight. We should not be a follower we should be a leader and only listen to God! If you follow a crowd no matter what kind of crowd it is

Gabriella’s Devotion: What is Lent? The word “Lent” comes from the Old English word “lengten,” which simply means “spring” — when the days lengthen and new life springs forth. It is a time in which we anticipate the victory of the light and life of Christ over the darkness of sin and death. It is our prayer that as you journey with us from Ash Wednesday to Easter, you would be reminded of the reality of our broken humanity, but as days grow brighter, you would experience with greater abundance the reality of God’s redeeming grace. And so, just as we carefully prepare for big events in our personal lives, such as a wedding or commencement, Lent invites us to make our hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ death and resurrection.

We will play MercyMe Name That Tune and give you a chance to win passes to see the movie I Can Only Imagine 2. We are also giving away the book “Even If – Trusting God Through The Fire” – the Official Book for I Can Only Imagine 2, written by Lead Singer Bart Millard and his wife Shannon Millard.

We will give you a chance to win with MercyMe Trivia. Even If is the inspiration behind the major motion picture I Can Only Imagine 2. This true story of heartache and hope from MercyMe’s lead singer, Bart Millard, and his wife, Shannon, shows us how even our deepest wounds can become doorways to God’s grace.

Even If is the inspiration behind the major motion picture I Can Only Imagine 2. This true story of heartache and hope from MercyMe’s lead singer, Bart Millard, and his wife, Shannon, shows us how even our deepest wounds can become doorways to God’s grace. Purchase Even If now at a great price wherever books are sold https://davidccook.org/books/even-if/ 

Congratulations to Brad, Lisa, Jim and karen!!

This week’s Name That Tune was a stumper, but come back next week for a chance to win TWO $5 gift cards in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for the NZ Top 10 with Ethan and Joe!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Brook Abella, Gabriella, and Joe 🙂

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Happy Ash Wednesday!!!

Dad Jokes from Joe: What did the finger say to the thumb? I’m in Glove with you! Why is Yoda a good gardener? He has a green thumb!

Who Knew? National crab stuffed flounder day! Crab stuffed flounder is a one-of-kind dish is composed of a stuffing made with crab meat, bread crumbs, butter, and seasonings, which is stuffed into the whole flounder or rolled up into the fillets and baked. Why wouldn’t we have a National Food Day to celebrate it?

Who Knew? Ash Wednesday! Ash Wednesday signals the beginning of Lenten season for Christians. It takes place 46 days before Easter and the day after Shrove Tuesday. During this religious celebration, worshippers receive ashes on their foreheads as a sign of mortality, grief for sins, and a commitment to spiritual renewal.

Who Knew? I can only imagine 2 this weekend! MercyMe’s sequel to “I Can Only Imagine” will be in theater’s this weekend! Stay tuned for the rest of this week during The Morning Thing and Afternoon Drive for a chance to win movie passes! Check out our website wnzr.fm for more information!

We will play MercyMe Name That Tune and give you a chance to win passes to see the movie I Can Only Imagine 2. We are also giving away the book “Even If – Trusting God Through The Fire” – the Official Book for I Can Only Imagine 2, written by Lead Singer Bart Millard and his wife Shannon Millard.

We will give you a chance to win with MercyMe Trivia. Even If is the inspiration behind the major motion picture I Can Only Imagine 2. This true story of heartache and hope from MercyMe’s lead singer, Bart Millard, and his wife, Shannon, shows us how even our deepest wounds can become doorways to God’s grace.

TheMorningThing.com and wnzrdrive.com. Even If is the inspiration behind the major motion picture I Can Only Imagine 2. This true story of heartache and hope from MercyMe’s lead singer, Bart Millard, and his wife, Shannon, shows us how even our deepest wounds can become doorways to God’s grace. This true story of heartache and hope from MercyMe’s lead singer, Bart Millard, and his wife, Shannon, shows us how even our deepest wounds can become doorways to God’s grace. Purchase Even If now at a great price wherever books are sold https://davidccook.org/books/even-if/ 

Congratulations to Bekah of Howard and Jen of Howard for winning our contests today!

Who am I? 

  1. I was born on February 18, 1968, in Roseville, California. 
  1. I began acting as a child and was a cast member on the TV sitcom The Facts of Life before becoming a film star. 
  1. I became one of the most recognizable members of the “Brat Pack” after starring in 1980s teen classics like The Breakfast Club (1985), Sixteen Candles (1984), and Pretty in Pink (1986). 
  1. I frequently worked with director John Hughes, who helped shape my image as a defining teen actress of the 1980s. 
  1. In addition to acting, I’m also a published author and have released jazz music, including the album Except… Sometimes (2013). 

I am… Molly Ringwald! Congratulations to Wendy of Mount Vernon for guessing correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in tomorrow for Praise Thursday with Brook Abella, Gabriella, and Joe.

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

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