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Praise Thursday

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

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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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Let’s Dive Deeper Into Psalm 23!

Today for Praise Thursday on The Afternoon Drive, we got to understand Psalm 23 a little bit deeper!

This is what Psalm 23 (NIV) says:

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

This video helped us get a better understanding of this Psalm! If you have 10 minutes to spare, give this video a watch to get a deeper look into Psalm 23!

A couple notes:

– Shepherds are not just gentle fence keepers. In Biblical times, they were warriors, prepared to fight off lions, bears, and thieves. Have you made God the Shepherd of your life?

– Sheep only lie down when there is absolutely no danger to be sensed. What is something in your life that is keeping you from lying down in green pastures? Choose to surrender it to God and let Him protect you!

– The Hebrew word for “restore” means to turn back, or to retrieve something lost. If you feel like you’ve lost pieces of yourself, God heals you! Sometimes, He will take something away for your good, but He will ultimately restore your soul!

– The rod is to fight off predators, or anything that tries to attack you. The staff keeps you from straying and brings you back to the path God is setting you on!

– God’s goodness and mercy is not only following you, it’s chasing after you! It is so good to know God does not stop chasing us down!

Today’s Name That Tune was a stumper from last week!

Our song clip was from World On Fire by For KING & COUNTRY!

Congratulations to Satarah from Mount Vernon for calling in and correctly guessing the song title and artist! She will be taking home two $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Watch the World On Fire music video by For KING & COUNTRY here!

We’ll see you on Friday for this week’s countdown for The NZ Top 10, and new music on WNZR!

Thank you for listening!
– Ethan Hershberger

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Your Pain Is Not In Vain!

Have you heard the fable of the boy and the butterfly?

One day, a boy is given a cocoon in his hands, but told not to touch it. When he looked down and saw something struggling on the inside of the cocoon, he took a pair of scissors and cut it open to free the butterfly.

To the boy’s dismay, the butterfly could not take off flying, fell to the ground and passed away.

When we find ourselves in the middle of the struggle, we need to remember that our strength is built through the storms and trials.

Romans 5:3-4 says, “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

While we don’t deny that pain and struggles are difficult, God is going to use everything you go through, good and bad, to strengthen you. We can rejoice in the pain even when it’s hard.

If you need to lift up a hard-fought hallelujah, sing along here with Brandon Lake Jelly Roll:

Today’s Our Daily Bread Devotional dives deeper into this topic! Read more HERE.

Ethan talked about how he heard at an MVNU chapel service that God sometimes doesn’t always give us the quickest way out of the desert.

Instead, He does something incredible and chooses to plant and grow a garden in the middle of the desert! This reminds us of the song Flowers by Samantha Ebert and Seph Schlueter.

Listen along if you need a reminder that God sees you where you are. He is going to grow something beautiful!

We played Name That Tune today on The Afternoon Drive!

This week’s Name That Tune was a stumper!

Tune in next Thursday on The Afternoon Drive and see if you can figure out the song title and artist from our song clip! We will give you a chance to win on Name That Tune at 5:15pm next Thursday, March 12th! (Hint: This artist is coming to the Ohio State Fair this summer, August 3rd!)

Thank you for listening!
– Ethan Hershberger

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Spring is coming…

…Sooner than later for our MVNU students, faculty and staff! Spring Break officially starts tomorrow (Friday) night for our campus. Please pray for everyone’s travel, especially members of our staff traveling overseas for mission projects. Prayers for traveling mercies and good decisions!

Brook Abella is going on a family vacation in Florida, Destini Turcotte (first-year DJ) is heading to Spain, while our Morning Thing men’s volleyball guys (Xander DeVault, Josiah Pletcher) are playing in the middle of their season. Baseball, lacrosse, indoor track and softball are also traveling. Many of our students are also staying here to work at WNZR over break.

Today we shared some inspiration from Colossians 3 and Paul’s encouragement to ‘set your hearts on things above.’

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

We can commit each day to transforming our hearts and minds, even when we wrestle with the temptations of this world.

Today our song was a NEW one and a three-week stumper! “Peter Burton’s “Where Would I Be?” – congratulations to Reagan of Mount Vernon, who solved the mystery and wins a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Thanks for listening!
Joe and Brook

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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 â€śEven If – Trusting God Through The Fire” â€“ 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 Valentine’s Day Eve-Eve!!

Today on Praise Thursday we did devotionals, Spread The Love Giveaway, and we did Name That Tune! Here’s what we talked about:

Gabriella’s Valentines Day Devotion:

  • Willing. Jesus said, “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18).
  • Sacrifice. There is no such thing as love without sacrifice.
  • If you are only interested in loving people because you get something good in the end, you are not motivated by love for them but by love for yourself.
  • The Bible says that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. If he had waited until we were able to reciprocate, there would be no hope for us! 
  • Love does its best work when the other person is undeserving.

Brook Abella’s Waiting Period Devotion:

I was waiting in my guitar class to play, but ended up watching everyone else. In the end I played and did well, but one thing I realized is I wouldn’t have done as good as I did if I didn’t wait. I learned the famous saying “Patience is a virtue” in real time. It didn’t take much to realize if I didn’t wait I wouldn’t have done as well as I did in the end. Waiting is THE formative time to make sure you do good, after the waiting season God will have so much for you, you will be grateful you waited.

Joe’s Perfect Image Devotion:

In this day and age we’re so used to not having to deal with people face to face. On social media it’s easy to dislike someone’s post, but 99% of the people doing that would never do that in person. It’s important we keep note on what we should be doing. Recapture the incarnation where the word connects with face to face and we’re created in God’s perfect image. It’s easy to have low self esteem when people dislike on social media, but YOU were made in God’s perfect image.

Today was the last day to participate and the winners for the grand prize drawing with be Tomorrow during The Morning Thing!  Congratulations to Mary of Fredericktown for participating in spread the love giveaway and winning a $25 gift card to ACTS Thrift Store in Mount Vernon!

This week’s Name That Tune was Zach William’s with Heaven Help Me! Congratulations to Lyle of Apple Valley for guessing it 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!


– Brook Abella, Gabriella, and Joe

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New Dynamic Duo on The Afternoon Drive?!

Today on Praise Thursday we introduced a new co-host that will be with us for the 4 o’clock hour every Thursday, Brook Abella! Here’s what we talked about:

Brook Abella’s Devotional: Let God’s word wash over you! Spend some time to accept God’s light and let it shine on you, so you can point it in the direction of others! You should TRY to be like God!

Gabriella’s Devotional: Who is our neighbor? EVERYONE!! We should be a kind soul to everyone we come across and show them how a Christian should be. To read more click HERE!

Joe’s Devotional: Be a listener! In order to have a conversation you should should be just as good as listening as you do talking. Listen to the words that are spoke around and to you, so you can fully understand who people are. People should only be speaking the truth, but it’s up to you to fact check it. No one else. YOU!

You could win a fabulous prize from February 2nd through 12th! Each day of the contest, our DJs will select Valentine’s gifts to put in the WNZR Valentine’s box. During The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive, the DJs will give a cue to call 740-397-WNZR (9697). Caller #5 gets the chance to answer a Valentine’s question to win a prize. Congratulations to Tim of Mansfield for winning a $10 gift card to Burrata Woodfired and getting registered to be in the grand prize drawing!

This Week’s Name That Tune was “Testify” by NEEDTOBREATHE. Congratulations to Jessica of Mount Vernon guessing correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watt’s Restaurant in Utica!

Tune in Tomorrow to The NZ Top 10 with Ethan and Joe!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Gabriella, Brook Abella, and Joe 🙂

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Be God’s Walking Church!!

Today on Praise Thursday we went through devotionals and gave important updates. Here’s what we talked about:

Having a terrible memory is frustrating, but it is a chance to rely on God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s help to recall what matters most. While you may forget daily details or past sins, God promises to “remember them no more” (Hebrews 8:12), encouraging you to focus on the present “new thing” He is doing (Isaiah 43:18-19). Use the Holy Spirit as your memory, a “bad memory” can be a blessing, focus on the present, exercise and routine: treat your memory like a muscle, improving it through consistent, daily study of scripture, replacing, not just forgetting.

We often use the word “hope” as wishful thinking—a desire for things to go a certain way, with no guarantee they will. But the hope that Scripture offers is something far greater. As believers, our hope is alive. It’s grounded in the unshakable reality of Jesus Christ, who defeated death and rose from the grave. Living with biblical hope requires shifting our perspective. Instead of hoping for specific outcomes, we trust God’s sovereign wisdom. We know He works all things according to His perfect will. Our hope is grounded in God’s promises, not in possibilities or probabilities

Knox County is NO longer under any snow emergency.

Coshocton is under a level 1 snow emergency

Announcements for Thursday 1/29/26 (updated at 3:30pm on Thursday 1/29/26):

The Weather Vane Women’s Clothing Boutique will reopen on Thursday 2/5. They are currently closed due to a heating issue.

The Community meeting at the Danville Community Center is cancelled for tonight. This public meeting to share ideas for the Village has been rescheduled to February 26.

1 hour delays: Centerburg

2 hour delays:

– Danville

– Fredericktown

– Knox County Community Center

– Mount Vernon

Closed:

– Johnstown Monroe

– Mount Gilead

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Our Name That Tune was Danny Gokey with “I Got You!” Congratulations to Ryan of Mount Vernon for taking home TWO $5 to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

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

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

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