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The Official Blog of WNZR's Afternoon Drive

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winners

Big Dreams and Hygiene!!

Who Knew Fact: Is there a day to celebrate dreaming? YES, today is National Dream Day, where we promote that any of our aspirations and dreams should be pursued with perseverance. 

Who Knew Fact: Should you wash your nose? YES. Daily? YES. Washing out the nose hasn’t always been a very common practice for everyone, but it should be. Most people don’t realize how many germs, allergens, and other icky invisibles can be present inside the nose just from daily living. Practicing daily nose washing helps to support the body’s defenses as the nasal passages work to rid themselves of irritants. 

Who Knew Fact: Is March named for a Roman god? YES. For Mars or Martius, the Roman god of war and a mythical ancestor of the Roman people. In Roman times March signaled people that it’s time to fight since soldiers paused fighting during the winter. Which is why March is named after the God of war!

Today is also national prom-posal day!! As prom approaches it’s time to start thinking about who and how you’re going to ask someone to prom!!

Who Am I? 

  1. I was born on March 11, 1931, in Melbourne, Australia, son of a newspaper publisher.
  2. When my father died in 1952, I inherited The News, a small newspaper in Adelaide. 
  3. I expanded the company and eventually started News Corp.  which became one of the world’s largest media companies. 
  4. In the late 1980’s, I launched the Fox Broadcasting Company and then Fox News, significantly shaping television and news media in the United States.
  5. I stepped down as chairman in 2023 and my son took over. 

I am…Rupert Murdoch. Congratulations to Bonnie 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 Ethan and Gabriella!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

The Queen is HERE!!

Steven Curtis Chapman concert is tonight. The Speechless Tour, with special guest La Via Quartet 

Steven Curtis Chapman is bringing back his “Speechless The Tour” this Spring, and this time, he’s coming to Ohio! He continues to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his album, “Speechless”, which brought several #1 hits like “Dive,” “Be Still and Know,” “Fingerprints of God,” and “Speechless.” He has some other surprises up his sleeves, and he will be featuring the La Via Quartet. 

Steven Curtis Chapman will be in Dayton, Ohio on Friday, March 13th!

If you want to experience the 25th anniversary of the [Speechless] album, ticket information can be found HERE!

Elevation Nights Tour 2026, with Elevation Worship, ELEVATION RHYTHM, and Pastor Steven Furtick 

Synopsis: 

Pastor Steven Furtick will be preaching a message and Elevation Worship will be leading several of their powerful worship anthems such as “Praise, Trust In God,” RATTLE!, and one of their latest singles “Jesus Be The Name”. In addition, ELEVATION RHYTHM will kick off the night with some of their hits like, “At The Altar”, GOODBYE YESTERDAY” and “WASHED”. Doors are at 6:00PM 

Ticket information can be found at our website, on our Concerts page HERE!

Lifeline 2026 is coming April 8th through the 13thWednesday, 4/8 – Day of Prayer and Praise, Thursday 4/9, Lifeline Choice Challenge,  Friday 4/10, Matching Challenge DayMonday 4/13, Lifeline Wrap-Up Day.

For Lifeline 2026, our staff has found a way to say thank you to ministry partners.

We have Lifeline 2026 appreciation gifts for donations at designated levels.

  • Everyone that makes a donation will receive a Lifeline 2026 refrigerator magnet.
  • Donors giving $10 per month will receive a Lifeline 2026 Journal featuring the “God Did It!” theme.
  • The official Lifeline 2026 t-shirt, featuring the “God Did It!” theme, will be given for gifts of $25 per month.
  • A WNZR vintage full zip hooded sweatshirt will be given for donations of $50 per month.
     Keep watching our website to see pictures and a breakdown of our appreciation gifts.

The Lifeline Challenge is back for 2026. This challenge encourages individuals and families to support WNZR’s ministry and asks for a monthly donation of $25 dollars over the next 12 months. We are looking for 250 individuals and families to take our Lifeline Challenge. We offer a day sponsorship to every donor that gives monthly support at the $300 dollar level. The day sponsorship can be used to honor a special day or a special person. You can honor a birthday, anniversary, wedding, graduation, engagement, or honor someone who has had an impact in your life! For more information about the Lifeline Challenge or the day sponsorship, call 740-392-9090 and ask for Marcy. Check out our website wnzr.fm!

Here were this week’s Song Poetry lyrics:

“I had burdens on my shoulders all my life

I tried and tried to leave ‘em all behind,

but freedom’s one thing I could never find” 

This week’s Song poetry was… Left It In The River by Jamie MacDonald! Congratulations to Brian of Mount Vernon for guessing correctly and taking home a $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica! 

Tune in Tomorrow for Who Knew Wednesday with Ethan and Xander!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe, Gabriella, Marcy 🙂

Spring Time – Start Fresh!!

Today, on Monday Motivation, we shared some insight on spring and continued going over sermons, plus we had our Mystery Monday Family Feud-style question. Here’s what we talked about:

Gabriella’s Motivation: Let spring motivate you to start fresh. Spring represents “new life” and Resurrection, embrace it! Let go of your worries and remember that God is doing something new and great. Intentionally grow your heart, mind, soul, and body. Truly start fresh. Matthew 6:28 (NIV) “See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.”

Joe’s Motivation: We continued the book of Titus. What do you imagine when we say “live your life like a Christian”? Yesterday, I was put in an upsetting situation where I was required to take the high road and go about my day. My dinner plans fell through, instead of yelling at the manager for a problem he can’t help, I told him it’s no big deal and went somewhere else. Being slow to anger and patient is one of the actions we have to hold as Christians.

Name something you’ve been wishing for years your husband would do.  

  1. Be more romantic (27) 
  1. Housework/ Chores (13) 
  1. Grow up (12) 
  1. Take me on a trip (12) 
  1. Be less angry (11) 
  1. Lose weight (6) 

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

Tune in for Artist Newsday and GameTime Tuesday with Joe and Gabriella!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

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 🙂

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 🙂

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 🙂

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 🙂

New Contests THIS WEEK!!!

Today on Monday Motivation we gave inspiration through scripture and classes, had TWO contests for  The MercyMe “Even If You Can Only Imagine” Contest, along with our family feud style question for Mystery Monday! Here’s what we talked about:

Joe’s Motivation: Honor. Honorable leaders live up to their commitments. Heart. Leading from the heart cannot be feigned or coached. Humility. What’s the most important attribute people look for in their managers and leaders? A study of most admired CEOs cited humility as the number- one factor—their willingness to accept and admit their flaws. Humor. People love leaders who display a sense of humor. When you poke fun at yourself, our cheater meters swing toward “trust.” If love is the universal language, then humor is the universal trust builder. We should lead just like Christ did.

Gabriella’s Motivation: To treat yourself as if you were someone you are responsible for helping is, instead, to consider what would be truly good for you. This is not “what you want.” It is also not “what would make you happy.” You need to consider the future and think, “What might my life look like if I were caring for myself properly? What career would challenge me and render me productive and helpful, so that I could shoulder my share of the load, and enjoy the consequences?

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. Information about the book Even If and the movie I Can Only Imagine 2 is available on our blog  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. Purchase Even If now at a great price wherever books are sold https://davidccook.org/books/even-if/ Congratulations to Randell and Karen for winning our contests Today!

Name a reason a man might decide to get rid of his toupee. 

  1. Bald is cool 
  1. Got a new one 
  1. Confident/secure 
  1. Hair grew back 
  1. Old/grungy 
  1. Blows/falls off 
  1. Looks silly/fake

Congratulations to Pam of Newark 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 GameTime Tuesday with Xander and Ethan!

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

Spread Love and Prayer!!

For ending relationships focus on spiritual well-being, alignment with biblical values, and maintaining peace .When there is any lack of peace/internal disquiet, unsafety, hindrance to spiritual growth, unequal yoking, unrepentant behavior/bad character, lack of clear guidance/confirmation, you need to rethink the relationship and talk about it or LEAVE!! You should be seeking God’s will, focus on holiness, and prioritizing God over worldly relationships.

Joe’s Monday Motivation: You might’ve felt lost or helpless and that’s never the case. You aren’t powerless if you have a plan. One way to help fight against feeling powerless is have a plan for prayer. Read the Bible and think about things YOU can pray about. Have three things ready to go to prayer about yourself, have three things you can pray about that are stressing you, and have three things that you can pray about for other people close to you or people you think about. God is our ARMERED tank.

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 Trevor of Saint Louisville for taking home a $10 gift card to Dancing Bee Market & Studio and getting registered for the grand drawing!

Name a famous David: 

  1. David from the Bible (40) 
  1. David Letterman (11) 
  1. David Copperfield (7) 
  1. David Niven (6) 
  1. David Hasselhoff (6) 
  1. Dave Chappelle (6

Congratulations to Chris of Gambier for guessing the top two answers correctly and taking home TWO $5 gift cards to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

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

Thanks so much for listening!

– Joe and Gabriella 🙂

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