Today I shared an inspiring reminder from Cindy Hess Kasper, called ‘Love of Learning,’ driven by Proverbs 1:5, which says, “Let the wise listen and add to their learning.” Read the full devotional from Our Daily Bread by clicking here.
Today’s trivia question: What is the color of the hat in ‘The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins?’
Answer: Red
Congratulations to Abby from Mount Vernon, who wins 2 tickets to the show this weekend at the Knox Memorial Theater.
Thanks for listening!
– Joe
Psalm 120-121 serve as the fuel for Monica La Rose’s devotional from ‘Our Daily Bread,’ perfect for a Monday. Read ‘A New Beginning’ by clicking here.
Ephesians 6 drives this devotional from Xochitl Dixon, ‘Prayer Cards.’ Read it by clicking here.https://odb.org/US/2023/02/18/prayer-cards
Name something you might eat with crackers.
Soup (28 votes)
Cheese (24)
Peanut Butter (21)
Chili (16)
Sliced meats (11)
Congratulations to Kelly from Mount Vernon, who answered correctly and wins the TobyMac CD, Life After Death.
Today’s Monday Motivation includes “Cleansed Completely” from Adam Holz – inspired by Isaiah 64. Read more here.
James 2 is the inspiration for “Faith in Action” from Anne Cetas. Read more at Our Daily Bread by clicking here.
Name a U.S. President whose name ends in “son”.
Answer Points
Thomas Jefferson 31
Andrew Jackson 30
Lyndon B. Johnson 19
Woodrow Wilson 9
James Madison 5
W. Henry Harrison 5
Congratulations to Paul from Mount Vernon, who guessed correctly and wins the Anne Wilson CD, “My Jesus.”
Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Dylan
Today’s Monday Motivation comes from author Arthur Jackson and advice for what to do when you’re ‘hard pressed.’ Read more here from Our Daily Bread.
We also shared ‘Imaginative Faith’ from James Banks. This passage was inspired by Isaiah 55. Read more here!
It’s also WORLD RADIO DAY! Today celebrates the anniversary of Guglielmo Marconi’s first wireless transmission in 1895.
Today’s winners: Tim and Kim from Mount Vernon won a $10 gift certificate to Gospel Christian Life Shop
Deanna from Mount Vernon won a certificate for a dozen carnations from Flowers for You!
Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Dylan
Today I’m (Joe) sharing a wise word from worship pastor Ashley Lassetter. She’s a good friend of our daughter and recently shared this on her Facebook page. It was inspired by this phrase, “The Caller is the Keeper.”
—
Following Christ requires a backbone, a strong one. Following Christ is hard. It’s sacrificial. The life you plan and want to live will die. You will make sacrifices that cost more than it feels it’s worth some days.
Your calling won’t be what you imagined it would be. It will be one that requires more than you are willing to give some days, but when it is that costly, do not forget the lives you will impact for the Lord’s glory.
So often we get weak and in our own flesh, we don’t want the life and situations we are dealt. We want a different hand. We get mad because it isn’t what we think it should be.
We get into a victim mindset. We want someone else to do the leg work for that ministry you yourself are pregnant with. We want someone else to do the heavy lifting.
But God has called YOU.
YOU have it in YOU because the LORD placed it there. What will you do with what the Lord has given you?
What will you do with your call? What will you do with the broken place that He wants to use for ministry to others? What will you do?
We must walk this life out in God and through God. We must bring it to him. He never intended for us to carry the heavy weight and cost alone. It will cost you for the anointing, yes. It will cost you to pursue the call of Christ for your life.
It will hurt. It will be hard. It is expensive.
But don’t forget that the result is such a great Glory of God that we can’t even begin to fathom. Earth cannot contain the surface of His glory.
I plead with you to live your life worthy of the calling you have. I call on you, fellow friends, to pursue the life Christ has intended for us, even when we must endure bitter and costly things.
Where can we go from His presence? He is everywhere. Walk in your call. Count the cost and pay for it.
Where will the generation be that stands and pays the cost with a backbone?
The Lord is worth it. He is worth the cost. Pursue Christ. Pursue the calling you have.
If he has called you and placed it in you, He will keep you. It is worth it. Pursue the Caller.
—
I don’t know about you, but that MOTIVATES me to keep going because I know I’m never doing this on my own.
Dylan shared a great reminder that we are NOT alone! Read this one from today’s Our Daily Bread.
Today’s winners:
Seth from Fredericktown – correctly guessed CUPID as our answer in the 4pm hour; wins a dozen carnations from Flowers For You
Richard from Mount Vernon – correctly guessed HAMLET as our answer in the 5pm hour; wins a $10 gift certificate to Gospel Christian Life Shop
Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Dylan
Knox County’s Crunch Out 2022 Program Celebration happened on Saturday at the Gallagher Center in Mount Vernon.
The United Way of Knox County celebrated the winners of the 2022 Program.
These students were recognized for outstanding effort and commitment to living healthy lives.
What does 5-2-1-0 stand for?
580 essays were submitted! When making these choices, many kids reported feeling better physically and mentally. Some even indicated better relationships with their siblings!
Thanks to the physical education teachers who helped implement this program:
Thanks to the community partners that joined United Way to support the Crunch Out Program: Knox Community Hospital, the YMCA of Mount Vernon and the Get Healthy Knox County community coalition.
Students who completed daily Crunch Out journals received some fun prizes throughout the duration of the program. At the completion of the 6-week program, students were asked to write a “How I am Living Healthy” essay.
These students were recognized for outstanding effort and commitment to living healthy lives.
– Wiggin Street Elementary
– Jack Jenkins from Ms. Wegmiller’s class
-Mrs. Sabo’s class had two winners this year, Isla Robinson and Delaney Newell! Delaney is the Wiggin Street school winner.
– Columbia Elementary
– Lilyonna Groah from Mrs. Thomas’s class
– The overall school winner at Columbia Elementary, representing Mrs. Barteau’s class is Emery Virostek
– Pleasant Street Elementary
– Wade Finley from Mrs. Jacklin’s class
– Ally Bonvillain from Mrs. DeBoard’s class
– The overall Pleasant Street school winner: Mia Calkins from Mr. Bonaudi’s class
– Twin Oak Elementary
– Kelsey McCallen from Mrs. Meier’s Class
– Kaylee Mullins from Mrs. Dallas’ class
– The Twin Oak overall school winner is Henley Caughlan from Mrs. Martin’s class
– East Elementary
– Jordyn Plumly from Mrs. Martin’s class
– The East Elementary School winner is Morgan Tocheff from Ms. Frackman’s class
– Dan Emmett Elementary
– The Dan Emmett school essay winner is Kyler Allen from Mrs. Farr’s classroom
The 2022 overall Knox County winners:
Delaney Newell from Wiggin Street Elementary School. She received a one-year YMCA membership!
Nash Matheny from Fredericktown Elementary School. He received a one-year Family Pass to Hiawatha Water Park and Pool
Emma Chrysler from Centerburg Elementary School. Her essay was a creative story about a dragon who learned to make healthy lifestyle choices. She received a gift card for a new bike!
Hear the audio of Emma reading her story here!
Thank you, United Way!
Today we shared my conversation recorded last Friday afternoon with Jeremy Camp, as he stays on the road with Winter Jam ’23.
Click here to hear the full conversation!
Dylan shared today’s Our Daily Bread devotional – find it here!
QUESTION: Ed Cash from We The Kingdom helped write what early 2000’s worship song by Chris Tomlin? (The song and album won 5 GMA Dove Awards)
ANSWER: ‘How Great is Our God’
Joe from Apple Valley answered correctly and wins the pair of passes!
Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Dylan
Today we honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by sharing a devotional from Pastor Victoria Curtiss, written as a tribute to him.
Matthew 5:43–48
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (NRSV)
Jesus said that anyone can love those who love them in return. What distinguishes people of God is the way we treat those who oppose us—our enemies. Just as God shows love to everyone, so are we to show love to everyone. This inclusivity is the meaning of “be perfect” as God is perfect.
What a fitting scripture for the day we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The key to the life of Dr. King is found in his Christian faith. He responded to violence with nonviolence, to hate with love. Dr. King was always looking toward reconciliation after the battle, because his approach was grounded in the gospel. He wrote, “It was the Sermon on the Mount, not a doctrine of passive resistance, that inspired the Negroes of Montgomery to social action. It was Jesus of Nazareth that stirred [them] with the creative weapon of love.”
Martin Luther King recognized that the heart of the gospel proclaims that love can really change a situation of conflict and enmity: love reaching out toward the oppressor, love pushing negotiation, love offering forgiveness and newness. It wasn’t that he lacked an appreciation for the persistence and power of evil. It was rather his evangelist’s faith. He really believed that the intolerant and prejudiced sheriffs and politicians were sheep who had strayed from the fold, who had the potential to be converted. However powerful evil is, love is more powerful still. “Remember him,” said Coretta Scott King, “as a man who refused to lose faith in the ultimate redemption of [humanity].”
Prayer
Thank you, God, for the witness of Martin Luther King Jr. Guide me as Christ’s follower to love as you love—everyone without exception. I lift up my enemies to you and pray for their well-being. Amen.
Here’s the link to today’s ‘Our Daily Bread’ MLK-themed devotional from Karen Pimpo, “Be Filled.”
Today’s question: How many GMA Dove Awards has Jeremy Camp won?
Today’s answer: 6
Congratulations to Cody from Mount Vernon.
Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Dylan
How are you building your house? As we approach this week, Xochtil Dixon reminds us of how we can struggle if we build our house on anything other than the solid rock:
“Jesus knew the futility of building a house on sand. After warning the disciples to be wary of false prophets, He assured them that loving obedience demonstrates wisdom (Matthew 7:15–23). He said that everyone who hears His words and “puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (v. 24). The one who hears God’s words and chooses not to put them into practice, however, is “like a foolish man who built his house on sand” (v. 26).
When circumstances feel like shifting sands burying us under the weight of affliction or worries, we can place our hope in Christ, our Rock. He will help us develop resilient faith built on the unshakable foundation of His unchanging character.”
Author Mike Wittmer also encourages us to choose joy when we think from an ‘eternal’ perspective. Read more here.
Name something kids just love to jump on:
1 – the bed (71 votes)
2 – trampoline (20)
3 – couch (5)
4 – pile of leaves (4)
Congratulations to Heather from Howard, who won the Austin French CD ‘Wide Open.’
Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Dylan
Driving Notes 