Search

Driving Notes

The Official Blog of WNZR's Afternoon Drive

Open Search
Category

Patience

Ultimate Sculptor!!

Gabriella’s Devotion: Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to trust in the lord and not in our own understanding. We struggle with this quite a lot especially when it comes to politics and in our personal lives. We should not be filled with anger for cases or events that happen because majority of the time the full story is not there yet. Trust in the Lord, this world is not our homeland.

Brook Abella’s Devotion: I am an artist in many different ways, but I have ceramics class tonight so that’s the thing I’m focusing on today. I know in the bible it talks about God being a sculptor and us being pottery, but I didn’t realize how much that was true until I started making pottery. In order to make a good piece of art you have to mold it and that’s what God does with us. The water we use to make it easier to mold represents the obstacles we’ve gone through.

Joe’s Devotion: “Give Me Words to Speak” by Aaron Shust comes from a very personal spiritual struggle—specifically, a season where he felt empty, inadequate, and unable to say anything meaningful on his own. The core idea behind the song: Shust has shared (in interviews and through the song’s context and lyrics) that it reflects: 1. A sense of spiritual brokenness and confusion. The opening lines describe feeling “calloused and bruised” and dissatisfied with “selfish hopes and dreams,” pointing to a realization that his own efforts weren’t enough. 2. A dependence on God for guidance and speech. The central prayer of the song is essentially: “I have nothing worthwhile to say—God, speak through me.” This echoes biblical themes of God giving words to His people (like Moses or the disciples). 3. A desire for authenticity in ministry and communication. Rather than relying on cleverness or talent, the song is about wanting one’s words to reflect God’s voice instead of personal ambition. The song was inspired by a moment (or season) where Shust realized: “If anything meaningful is going to come out of my life—or my mouth—it has to come from God, not me.”

Our Name That Tune was a stumper this week, but come back next week for a chance to win TWO $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

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

Thanks so much for listening!

– Brook Abella, Gabriella, and Joe

0

God’s Love Runs Deep

This week’s Monday Motivation was filled with fun information about worship and devotions tied into this year’s Lifeline theme “God Did It!”, plus in the second hour we played a game of Family Feud for our Mystery Monday! Here’s what we talked about:

Gabriella’s Motivation: Keep God as your firm foundation. (talk about being busy and having a. balanced life while keeping God as your firm foundation) Psalm 91:7 (NIV)- “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” God is our shelter and protector. No matter how many problems or complications you are against, God is for you.

Joe’s Motivation: Our theme verse for Lifeline 2026 is “not to us lord, not to us, but to your name be the Glory.” (Psalm 115:1 NIV). Everyone has struggled with who they are or want to be. 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)

Name something a gardener would hate to be allergic to! 

  1. Flowers/pollen (58) 
  1. Grass (21) 
  1. Dirt (7) 
  1. Weeds (7) 
  1. Bees (2) 

Congratulations to Trinity of Mount Vernon 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 Xander and Ethan!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

0

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 🙂

0

Be Humble in Difficult Times!!

I’m not proud of this story. As Scripture says, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”(Luke 6:45b, NIV). My outburst revealed what was in my heart – overload, frustration and anger. Consider this: The circumstances of the first Christmas were very stressful, too. There was an unmarried, pregnant teenager. There was a scared but faithful fianc?. There was no room in the inn. There were smelly animals and scratchy straw. There was an unidentified star in the sky. They implemented the truth in today’s key verse. Their trust in God made them steadfast.

Proverbs 4:25 (NIV)- “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you”. (This verse encourages focus on a righteous path, away from distractions, as detailed in the surrounding verses.) During these busy times we should not fear instead we should think and redirect our mind to focus on the lord. He is the reason for this season!

What about Joseph? Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV) talks about Josephs emotions during this time. He’s told Mary is pregnant even though she’s a virgin. Joseph was planing to divorce her quietly until an angel explained everything to him. Joseph was obedient and we learned a lot about his character. Obedience and loyalty was a way of life for Joseph!

Congratulations to Krista and Tim of San Louisville for being caller #9! The winners will be announced tomorrow during The Morning Thing!

Our Name That Tune was Toby Mac and Tasha Layton with Christmas Hits Different! Congratulations to Jim of Mount Vernon for guessing the artist and song name and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow for The All Request Drive with Ethan and Joe!

Thanks for listening!!

– Gabriella, Ethan, and Daniel 🙂

0

Praise Thursday with Zoe and Josiah

Today Josiah shared this devotional from Our Daily Bread, If you would like to read more please click here

Have you ever done something in anger you later regretted? When my son was wrestling with drug addiction, I said some harsh things in reaction to his choices. My anger only discouraged him more. But eventually he encountered believers who spoke life and hope to him, and in time he was set free.

Even someone as exemplary in faith as Moses did something he later regretted. When the people of Israel were in the desert and water was scarce, they complained bitterly. So God gave Moses and Aaron specific instructions: “Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water” (Numbers 20:8). But Moses reacted in anger, giving himself and Aaron credit for the miracle instead of God: “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” (v. 10). Then he disobeyed God directly and “raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff” (v. 11).

Even though water flowed, there were tragic consequences. Neither Moses nor Aaron was allowed to enter the land God promised His people. But He was still merciful, allowing Moses to see it from afar (27:12–13).

As with Moses, God still mercifully meets us in the desert of our disobedience to Him. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, He kindly offers us forgiveness and hope. No matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done, if we turn to Him, He’ll lead us into life.

Zoe shared a devotional from Our Daily Bread as well called Purple Shawl, if you would like to read more you can read it here

While serving as my mom’s live-in caregiver at a cancer center hundreds of miles away from my home, I asked people to pray for us. As the months passed, isolation and loneliness sapped my strength. How could I care for my mom if I gave in to my physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion?

One day, a friend sent me an unexpected care package. Jodi had crocheted a purple prayer shawl, a warm reminder that we had people praying for us daily. Whenever I wrapped the soft yarn around my shoulders, I felt God hugging me with the prayers of His people. Years later, He still uses that purple shawl to comfort me and strengthen my resolve.

The apostle Paul affirmed the importance and spirit-refreshing power of praying for others. Through his passionate request for prayerful support and encouragement during his travels, Paul demonstrated how those who pray for others become partners in ministry (Romans 15:30). Offering specific requests, the apostle not only showed his dependence on the support of fellow believers but his trust that God powerfully answers prayer (vv. 31–33).

We’ll all experience days when we feel alone. But Paul shows us how to ask for prayer as we pray for others. When we’re wrapped in the intercessory prayers of God’s people, we can experience God’s strength and comfort no matter where life takes us.

Who has God used to encourage you through intercessory prayer? Who can you pray for today?

Congrats to our winner of Name That Tune, Joanna of Pickerington!

0

2023: Try curbing the criticism

From author Kimya Loder in Our Daily Bread:

“We’ve learned to publicly criticize everything from the beliefs people hold to the clothes they wear. The reality, however, is that a critical and unloving attitude doesn’t align with who God has called us to be as believers in Jesus. While there will be times when we have to deal with disagreement, the Bible reminds us that as believers we’re to always conduct ourselves with “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). Instead of being harshly critical, even of our enemies, God urges us to “bear with each other and forgive one another if [we have] a grievance” (v. 13).

This treatment isn’t limited to the people whose lifestyles and beliefs we agree with. Even when it’s difficult, may we extend grace and love to everyone we encounter as Christ guides us, recognizing that we’ve been redeemed by His love.”

Maybe 2023 can become the year we push back against the social media and gossip culture of criticism…and start leaning on the fruits of the spirit.

Praise God for this wisdom!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

0

The Essence Of Prayer

Today on the show we talked about our new Lifeline 2022 total of $75,599! We also shared devotionals from Our Daily bread. And, of course, we had our Bible trivia where one lucky person has a chance to win a 2021 Voice of The Cougars Drawstring Backpack!

Here are our devotionals from Our Daily Bread:

Jonathon’s devotional is titled, “Past The Boundaries Of Knowing”. You can find the link here.

Dylan’s devotional is titled, “The Essence Of Prayer”. You can find the link here.

Question: Who got Joseph thrown into prison by lying about him?
Answer:  Potiphar’s wife

Congratulations to Tammy of Alexandria for guessing the correct answer! She wins a 2021 Voice of The Cougars Drawstring Backpack!

Thanks for listening!

-Dylan and Jonathon

0

Love Your Loved Ones

Today on the show we shared devotionals from Our Daily Bread. We also gave a Lifeline 2022 total update. We also had our weekly Bible trivia where one lucky person has a chance to win a 2021 Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack.

Here are the devotionals that we picked out:

Jonathon’s devotional is titled, “Blooming For Jesus” by Patricia Raybon. You can find the link here.

Dylan’s devotional is titled, “Love Your Loved Ones” by Mike Wittmer. You can find the link here.

Q: Joseph from the book of Genesis was Jacob’s 11th son, who was the 12th?

A: Benjamin

Congratulations to Jeff of Mount Vernon for guessing the correct answer! He wins a 2021 Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack!

Thanks for listening!

-Dylan and Jonathon

0

“Genuine Hope”

Today on the show we shared devotionals from Our Daily Bread. We also had our weekly Bible trivia where one lucky person has a chance to win a Voice of the Cougars Drawstring Backpack.

Here are our devotionals from Our Daily Bread:

Dylan’s devotional is titled, “Genuine Hope”. You can find the link here.

Jonathon’s devotional is titled, “Shining Light”. You can find the link here.

Question: What was the goal of building the Tower of Babel?
Answer: To reach Heaven (God).

Congratulations to Mary Ann of Martinsburg for guessing the correct answer! She wins a 2021 Voice of the Cougars Drawstring Backpack!

Thanks for listening!

-Dylan and Jonathon

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑