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Driving Notes

The Official Blog of WNZR's Afternoon Drive

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Our Daily Bread

Just Pray!

On this beautiful Praise Thursday, we shared inspiring worship music, gave devotions, shared updates, and played a fun game of NTT! Check out our website wnzr.fm!

In the animated movie Toy Story, one character, a space ranger named Buzz Lightyear, shouts his signature catchphrase while flying about the bedroom: “To infinity and beyond! It’s a phrase that has confused many. Isn’t infinity as far as you can go? How can there be anything “beyond” infinity? Jesus seems to employ such exponential effort in the realm of forgiveness. When Peter asked Jesus about forgiving another person, “How many times must I forgive him . . . seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he wrongs you seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22 ncv). Jesus goes on to tell a parable comparing a merciful king and an unmerciful servant, making the point that when someone truly regrets their error, there is no limit to the number of times we’re to forgive. That’s why we constantly need to ask God for His help. Only in His strength can we do this. Forgiven people forgive people. To infinity and beyond!

If you want to read more click HERE!

I realized I neglected to ask god for help in this stressful time of working on a work project with an impossible deadline. So i prayed… and immediately felt better. nothing changed- the project was still challenging, but peace washed over me. Perhaps David felt the same way submitting his fears and worries to God. In Psalm 6, he starts off describing his anguish at being hounded by his enemies. He continued to turning to God for help, he felt reassured: “The Lord has heard my cry… the Lord accepts my prayer.” Prayer isn’t a feel-good technique, but it’s a direct connection with the all-seeing, all-powerful One who will help is in His time and way. Feeling discouraged or down? Just pray- God hears.

If you want to read more click HERE!

Congratulations to Dwight of Mount Vernon for guessing our Name That Tune correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica. This week’s Name That Tune was Seph Schlueter’s Running Back To You. Come back next week to win a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

This month is a time to honor our local pastors and their commitment to families in our community. Tell us why you love your pastor. Go online to wnzr.fm and click on the “Clergy Appreciation Month” banner. Nominate your pastor at www.wnzr.fm TODAY!

Cast your predictions for the Dove Awards and get registered to win a special Dove Award Nominee Prize Package featuring special gifts from 2025 Dove Award nominees!! Tell us who you think will win “Song of the year” and “Artist of the year” at the 56th annual Dove Awards. Go online to www.wnzr.fm and click on the Dove Awards Prediction Prize Giveaway banner. Tonight at 11:59 is the deadline!!

Tune in tomorrow for The NZ Top 10!

– Ethan and Gabriella 🙂

Walk in the Light!!

Today on Praise Thursday, we gave wonderful devotions, had fun contests, and shared upcoming events at WNZR! Go to our website wnzr.fm!

Many of us as kids loved playing in the dark and Karen’s nieces were no different. They loved turning off the lights and makin scary faces when they turned the lights off. In his letter to the early believers in Jesus, the apostle John talked about choosing to walk in a different kind of darkness. First John 1:6 refers to sin as “darkness.” Walking in darkness isn’t a momentary lapse but a choice to keep engaging in wrong doing. John reminds us that our holy God “is light” and “in him there is no darkness” (V.5). If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. Only when we live in full obedience to God can we enjoy the full blessing of relationship with Him and to with other believers.

If you want to read more of our devotionals click HERE!

We did another Mark Schultz giveaway! Win tickets for “an evening with Mark Schultz”, this Saturday October 4th! Be caller #3 when you hear the Mark Shultz music montage. Tomorrow during Congratulations to Ebony of Mount Vernon, Kari of Newark, and Nina of Mount Vernon for winning tickets to “an evening with Mark Schultz” this Saturday in the chapel!

Tune in next Thursday for a chance to win a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica! Guess the song title and the artist correctly for Name That Tune and you will win!

Tune in tomorrow for The NZ Top 10!

– Ethan and Gabriella 🙂

Be Slow to Anger!!

Today on Praise Thursday, we gave wonderful devotions, had fun contests, and shared upcoming events at WNZR! Go to our website wnzr.fm!

Here’s our devotional we talked about for Praise Thursday!

“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. (Ecclesiastes 7:9).

Most human conflicts—shattered marriages and ruined friendships—are likely rooted in some form of unmanaged anger. Selfishness and power plays, unresolved misunderstandings, slights and counter-aggression—it’s all foolishness. So often, our ill-advised perceptions or reactions lead to destructive anger. Yet Ecclesiastes offers wisdom: “Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools” (7:9).

 Since “death is the destiny of everyone” (v. 2), Solomon advises us to live life with our end in mind, pondering life’s brevity instead of pursuing festivity, “for sadness has a refining influence on us” (v. 3 nlt). In light of life’s brevity and adversity and death’s reality, we’re to decide how to wisely spend our time. Even as we experience the uncertainties of life—adversity and prosperity, good times and bad times—God is in control (vv. 13-14).

Read more about this devotional by clicking HERE!

We’re doing another fun giveaway and all this week and next week during The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive. We’ll be doing a Mark Schultz giveaway! Win tickets for “an evening with Mark Schultz”, October 4th! Be caller #3 when you hear the Mark Shultz music montage, and you will win! Congratulations Melinda of Howard for being caller #3!

Tune in during The Afternoon Drive for our daily prayer! This week is Global Prayer Week and WNZR celebrates by doing a daily prayer on The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive! give your prayer requests on our website! wnzr.fm

Today we played a 15 second clip of a song that we listened to on The Afternoon Drive for Name That Tune! This week’s Name That Tune was a stumper so come back next week and you have a chance to take home TWO $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in tomorrow for New Music Friday and this week’s countdown of The NZ Top 10!

Thanks for listening!

– Gabriella and Ethan 🙂

Take Your Weakness to the Lord!!

Today on Praise Thursday, we gave wonderful devotions, had fun contests, and shared upcoming events at WNZR! Go to our website wnzr.fm!

Here’s our devotional we talked about for Praise Thursday!

Nora is going through her husbands passing and many of her friends tell her to “be strong”, but what does that mean? That I must deliver without fail in my responsibilities?

God gave great responsibilities to Othniel in a time of transition for the people of Israel. As discipline for the nation’s idolatry (Judges 3:8). Under the cruel king of Mesopotamia, the Israelites “cried out to the Lord,” and “he raised up for them a deliverer” Othniel, whose name means “God’s strength. ”How can we truly “be strong”? It’s by knowing we’re not strong and by trusting God to give us His strength. His “grace is sufficient for us, for God’s power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God’s strength works through us, doing things only He can do.  

Read more about this devotional by clicking HERE!

Congratulations to Addie of West Jefferson for winning Noah Live tickets for next week in theaters! Tune in for The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive Tomorrow for a chance to win tickets! Be caller number three, no trivia just call!

SonFest is this Saturday! All this week during The Morning Thing and Afternoon Drive, we have been giving trivia questions about one artist. The first caller to guess the artist correctly wins TWO SonFest tickets for this Saturday, 9/20! Tune into The Morning Thing tomorrow for your last chance to win! Congratulations to Robin of Fredericktown for winning two tickets for SonFest on The Afternoon Drive!

Today we played a 15 second clip of a song that we listened to on The Afternoon Drive for Name That Tune!

This week’s Name That Tune was “I Got You” from Danny Gokey. Congratulations to Jill from Howard for calling in and naming the song title and artist, taking home two $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in tomorrow for New Music Friday and this week’s countdown of The NZ Top 10!

Thanks for listening!

– Joe, Gabriella, and Ethan

Prayer Is POWERFUL!

Today on Praise Thursday, we were on the road with Big Blue at the Fredericktown Tomato Show! Stay up-to-date with the Fredericktown Tomato Show and upcoming events on our website, at wnzr.fm!

It’s Praise Thursday! Today we read a devotional from Our Daily Bread Devotionals about prayer!

Prayer is the biggest thing we can do for someone. Whether you feel the impact or not, our prayer makes a difference. Especially when multiple people are praying for you!

We also talked about how it’s okay to open up about your struggles with godly people you trust that will lift you up and support you! That is such a huge step in conquering whatever you’re going through!

Read more about this devotional by clicking HERE!

We played a 20 second song clip from a song we listened to on The Afternoon Drive!

This week’s Name That Tune song was “Made For More” from Josh Baldwin and Jenn Johnson!

Congratulations to Gina from Warsaw for calling in and figuring out the song title and artist, taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica! Tune in tomorrow for New Music Friday and this week’s countdown of The NZ Top 10!

Thank you so much for listening!
– Gabriella and Ethan

God Couldn’t Love You Any More Than He Does Right Now!!!

We took some time to slow down and take some moments to breathe on Praise Thursday today. We listened to some worship music, talked about a powerful message from one of MercyMe’s songs and read some devos out of Our Daily Bread Devotionals!

We listened to MercyMe’s song Best News Ever during The Afternoon Drive today. We talked about the message of this song, which is that what Jesus did on the cross was and is enough! He has been pleased with you the day you called His Name, and there’s nothing you can do to ruin that.

Something we as believers try to do is try to earn our grace, or earn our attention from God. Something we need to realize is that we need to stop trying so hard, and just accept the truth that the cross was, is, and always will be enough. “What if I were the one to tell you that the fight’s already been won?” There’s nothing more you can or need to do to earn His grace. Believe the cross was enough and that as you accept Jesus as your Savior, you are changed, made holy, righteous, and redeemed!

We looked in a new Our Daily Bread devo book for these next three months! The one we looked at today talked the boundaries, and how they set us more free than we think!

A study was made by architects who would provide a fence for a preschool. What the architects noticed was that when there was no fence, the students would stay close to the building, and stay a little secluded. However, when they built a fence, the students enjoyed all of the area that was in the fence, not just the little area next to the building.

We see here that boundaries set a greater sense of freedom! And we see how God sets boundaries with the Ten Commandments, which He promised would provide good, quality life within these boundaries. We also saw Jesus say in John 8:31-32, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” We see that boundaries are for our good and provide us freedom, rather than restraining us!

To read the entire devo on this topic, click HERE!

Today we played a 20 second song clip from a song we listened to on The Afternoon Drive for Name That Tune!

Our song today was Jesus Loves from Zach Williams!

Congratulations to Alex from Howard for calling in and guessing the song title and artist correctly, taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica! Tune in tomorrow as we count down the top 10 songs in Christian music on the NZ Top 10, and as we take a look at new music getting added to WNZR!

Thank you so much for listening!
– Ethan Hershberger

Call On Jesus!

Even with a couple technical difficulties today, we still had a great show! Today on Praise Thursday, we read some devotions out of Our Daily Bread Devotions!

We read a story about a woman, Nancy, who was walking in her town, and on her way she walked past a dog being walked on a leash. The dog tried to attack Nancy, but the owner held on to the leash, keeping the dog from harming her.

This reminded Nancy how the devil is prowling around waiting to attack us and paralyze us with fear, however we do not need to fear at all, because he is no match for the God we know and believe in. God calls us to “submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” found in James 4:7. Cry out to Jesus in times of fear, desperation, anxiety, when you need help, and as it says in 1 Peter 5:10, “And the God of 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.”

Read the full devotional HERE!

Jesus is our everything. We couldn’t possibly get through life without Him. Our other devotion we went though talks about how Kennedy Blades, a 2024 Olympian gave all glory to God, and praised Him for her victories. It is so incredible to see Kennedy using the platform God gave her to give Him glory and praise for everything. We see this heart posture reflect David in Psalm 63 where he says in verse 1, “I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you.” Kennedy acknowledged that she couldn’t have gotten anywhere, or done anything without the hope and grace that she has been blessed with by Jesus Christ!

If you want to read the full story, click HERE!

Today we took a 20 second clip of a song we played during The Afternoon Drive today!

Today’s song was Firm Foundation from Cody Carnes! Congratulations to Adam from Fredericktown for calling in and guessing the song title and artist correctly, taking home that $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica! Tune in tomorrow for the NZ Top 10, where we count down the top 10 songs in Christian music of the week! We’ll also have some new music for you as well!

Thank you so much for tuning in and listening!
– Xander and Ethan

Trust in God, He is in Control!

Today we listened to some great worship music! From Delirious to CeCe Winans, we had a wide variety of blasts from the pasts and new goodies all afternoon! We also shared some devotions, which certainly helped brighten up this cloudy, wet day!

On “Our Daily Bread Ministries”, we found a really inspiring story about a husband and wife, Tom and Nancy. While they were hiking in Maine one day, Tom fainted three times. Every doctor they visited said there was nothing they could find that was wrong. When Nancy asked the doctor what to do next, what they told her changed Nancy’s outlook on the situation. “Go live your life” is what they told her. What Nancy realized is that she doesn’t have to worry about what’s going to happen with her husband, because the One who knows all and has everything in control already has a plan. God spoke through that doctor that day, and we see here that God can speak through anyone and anything, in any situation!

If you want to read the full story and devotional, click here.

We also shared about trusting God in the trials. We know trials are going to come, the Bible makes that clear. But what the enemy means for evil, God means for good, and He’s shown time and time again that He will remain faithful and use whatever we go through to bring people to Him, and build His Kingdom! Whether, you’re angry, sad, or struggling with sin, God wants you to come to Him however you are, and leave changed! He wants you to trust in Him. He has good, specific plans for each and every one of us!

Today we played Name That Tune! We played a 15 second clip of a song, and if you can tell us the title of the song we play, and the artist, you can win that $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Today was a stumper! So make sure you tune in next week to hear the song clip, and try to guess the song title and artist who sings the song!

Thank you for listening!
– Xander and Ethan

The Beauty of Confession

Today, Dylan shared a devotional about confessing from James Banks, called ‘Convicted and Freed.’ You can read it by clicking here. It’s inspired by Psalm 32.

1 Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.[b]

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
    will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

We had a stumper! Some hints for next week:
– the name of the band is the lead singer’s last name
– the song title has two words and was released in 2007
– the album name is ‘Burn for You’

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Dylan

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