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New Year, New Music!

2024 wrapped up just one week ago, and 2025 brings forth a lot of anticipation for new music! It’s Artist Newsday and Game Time Tuesday on The Afternoon Drive, and we shared new albums, new singles and more!

NEEDTOBREATHE closed out 2024 with the release of a live album! https://jesusfreakhideout.com/news/2024/12/27.NEEDTOBREATHESurpriseFanswithNewLiveAlbumRelease.asp

TobyMac has new music on the way, with his single ‘God Did It’ releasing this Friday!

“I wanna dance like David
I wanna faith like Paul
I wanna sing like Silas tearing down the prison walls
I wanna face that fire
It won’t burn me though
God’s got my back Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego”

Those are the lyrics to ‘That’s Who I Praise’ by Brandon Lake! Congratulations to Janelle Wells for naming the right song! She wins the $5 Watts Restaurant Gift Card today!

Thanks for listening!- Judah

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Beauty? On a day like today?

On a snowy Monday coming out of the New Year, it might be really tough to think of beauty. Cold, snow, ice, slush, mixed with plows, cars, trucks and snow blowers might not be our idea of beautiful…so today’s Monday Motivation comes from artist Dan Bremnes and his song ‘Beautiful,’ which has nothing to do with external beauty, but the beauty that comes from a life renewed in Christ.

Dan cites the inspiration for the song from one of his favorite verses, 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” He shares: “I wrote this song a few years ago when I came back to God as a prodigal. I was a wounded and a broken person and God really took my life and changed it. He made something new out of it. I hope when people hear this song that their reminded of the work God has started in their life and the work that God continually does.”

Name something that you might associate with a bookstore other than books.

  1. Magazines (23)
  2. Greeting cards (21)
  3. DVDs, records or CD’s (20)
  4. Coffee (19)
  5. Chairs or reading areas (17)

Congratulations to Regina from Mount Vernon, who guessed the top two answers correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

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The NZ Top 10 of 2024!

Praise the Lord it’s Friday and Happy 2025! Today’s our annual year-end show where we showcase this past year’s Top 10. Thanks to Traven and Marcy for providing this additional data!

10. Katy Nichole ft. Naomi Raine – My God Can

(Peaked at #3 for 6 weeks, spent 28 weeks on the chart.)

9. Housefires ft. JWLKRS – I Thank God

(Peaked at #1 for 8 weeks starting in December 2023 and lasting into February 2024. In total, the song spent 36 weeks on the chart.)

8. TobyMac – Nothin’ Sweeter (#1 for 5 weeks)

(Peaked at #1 for 5 weeks, with a total 25 weeks on the chart so far.)

7. Josh Baldwin & Jenn Johnson – Made For More

(Josh Baldwin’s FIRST #1, remaining there for 4 weeks. It spent 35 weeks on the chart.)

6. Seph Schlueter – Counting My Blessings

(Seph Schlueter’s debut hit. Peaked at #1 for 4 weeks, spent 38 weeks on the chart.)

5. Jeremy Camp – These Days

(Peaked at #2 for 5 weeks, spent 28 weeks on the chart.)

4. Matthew West – Don’t Stop Praying

(Peaked at #2 for 2 weeks, spent 32 weeks on the chart.)

3. TobyMac – Faithfully

(Released in 2023, peaking at #1 for 8 weeks in February 2024; spent 34 weeks on the chart.)

2. Tauren Wells & Davies. – Take It All Back (4 weeks straight at #1)

(Peaked at #1 for 4 weeks straight, spent 31 weeks on the chart.)

1. Elevation Worship – Praise (12 weeks straight at #1)

(Peaked at #1 for 12 weeks straight on the Christian AC Airplay chart, spending 32 weeks on that chart…appearances across Christian Billboard Charts totaled THIRTY WEEKS at #1.

New Music Friday adds this week:

Brandon Heath – Gospel Truth

Brandon Lake – Hard Fought Hallelujah

Elevation Worship – God is Not Against Me

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

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Finding Reasons To Give Thanks!

When we come to the end of a year and begin a new one, it becomes pretty easy to reflect on the good, and the bad, of the past year. But instead of brushing the old year off and eagerly embracing the new one, it’s important to remember how far we’ve come. Every heartbreak, every rough time, every difficult…you made it through. You still have breath in your lungs, you still have a new year, a fresh start to look forward to. God, through His amazing grace, brought you through those tough moments…and He will continue to do so.

A stumper today! Make sure to tune in next week for Name That Tune, because next week’s game will be worth TWO $5 Watts Restaurant Gift Cards!

Thanks for listening!-Judah

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The ‘label’ that matters most

I’m not a big ‘New Year’s Resolution’ guy. Yes, I care about self-reflection and getting better, but I feel like I do this throughout the year, not just at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. One of the sermons I heard recently that really caught my attention was our MVNU Chaplain, Rev. Dave Mills, sharing about the Christmas concept we hear about all season, “good tidings of great joy.” Dave challenged us to embrace that phrase by identifying and pushing back against what steals our joy.

One ‘joy stealer’ Dave mentioned was the labeling we allow to define us. The things people say about us that we allow to define us. Honestly, one label I’ve been wrestling with this year is ‘old.’ I turned 56 this year and it’s amazing the sub-labels that start flying your way when you hit that 55+ mark. It becomes even more difficult when you’re surrounded by 18-23 year-olds all the time! I realize that I need to draw closer to the Holy Spirit so I can find joy in my years and my experiences and also focus on the only label that really matters – child of the one true King!!

Dave reminded us that our calling is TOO GREAT to live in these joy-stealing areas! Here’s a song to lead you there – Megan Woods, “The Truth.”

Name a household chore that no one likes to do!
1- cleaning the bathroom (45 votes)
2- washing dishes (25)
3- vacuuming (20)
4- doing laundry (10)

Congratulations to Lori of Mount Vernon, who guessed correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

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NZ Top 10 for 12/27/24

IT’S FRIDAY!!!! (Praise the Lord). We had a ton of fun on The Afternoon Drive counting down the top ten songs of the week!

10. Phil Wickham – The Jesus Way

9. Tasha Layton ft. Chris Brown – Worship Through It 

8. Seph Schlueter – Running Back To You

7. For KING + COUNTRY – Silent Night (Rewrapped)

6. Colton Dixon – Up + Up

5. Andrew Ripp – Loves Got A Way 

4. Phil Wickham – Angels (Glory To God) 

3. Crowder – Somebody Prayed

2. Megan Woods – The Truth

1. Brandon Lake – That’s Who I Praise

Plus, all of our special NZ Friday features!

BEHIND THE MIC:

Big Daddy Weave – Let It Begin

BREAKOUT HIT: 

Leanna Crawford – Still Waters (Psalm 23)

BACK TO BACK:

Jordan Feliz – Praise God For That [new single]

Jordan Feliz – Jesus Is Coming Back [biggest song; #1 for 4 weeks] 

REWIND: 2007

Casting Crowns – East To West [#1 for 13 weeks]

MercyMe – God With Us [#1 for 9 weeks]

NEW MUSIC: [Original Christmas song from 2024]

Jordan St. Cyr – Our Christ Is Here

FAN CHOICE:

Forrest Frank ft. JVKE – Never Get Used To This

New Music Friday Adds this week!

Our Christ Is Here!- Jordan St. Cyr

Thanks for listening!- Judah

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Finding Joy in Christmas!

One would think this is easy to do. It’s the season that brings tidings of comfort and joy for crying out loud! But sometimes, in the midst of the noise and outside of distractions of Christmas, we lose sight of the true joy of the season. We can become discouraged, stressed and even saddened over what it used to mean to us.

It’s Monday Motivation on The Afternoon Drive, and we’re sharing stories of how we were reminded of what Christmas is all about. In remembering the central meaning and hope that Christmas truly symbolizes, we can be reminded of why it truly is a cause for celebration.

Name something you hang on a Christmas tree?

Survey says:

Christmas Lights: 25%

Ornaments: 23%

Angel: 10%

Tinsel: 10%

Candy Cane: 7%

Congratulations to David for naming the top two answers on the survey. He wins the $5 Gift Card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Thanks for listening!- Judah

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Christmas stress…and how to avoid it!

Why is it that we get so stressed out around Christmas? Is it the tight finances, the holiday rush, trying to figure out what the heck to buy for your family, or all of the above. Honestly, it’s all that and more.

It’s Praise Thursday on The Afternoon Drive, and Christmas stress is almost always unavoidable. But maybe part of the problem is that we take our focus off of what Christmas is really about. The humble birth of a small child, in a quiet peaceful manger, destined to be savior and king of the world. Christmas is about the peace, joy and comfort of the Lord…not the buzz and business of everything else. But we lose sight of that so often. This Christmas, we need to remember what Christmas is really about, the light of the word: JESUS!

It’s the last day of the WNZR Christmas Gift Exchange! Congratulations to Brad from Mount Vernon and Mary from Fredericktown, they were our last two winners for the season! Tune in to The Morning Thing tomorrow at 7:30, we’ll be announcing our SEVEN grand prize winners!

Today’s track was ‘Mary Did You Know’ by Jason Crabb. Congratulations to Charla from Utica for naming the right tune! She wins the $5 Gift Card to Watts Restaurant in Utica!

Thanks for listening!- Judah

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Christmas Shopping Procrastination…We All Do It.

Ever have this problem? I know I do. It’s Who Knew Wednesday on The Afternoon Drive, and did you know that only 8 percent of people surveyed say they do their Christmas shopping before December? In a survey conducted by gallup.com, “16% of holiday shoppers say they will do “all” of their holiday shopping in December, 33% will do “most” of it, and 42% will do “some” of it. Only 8% of those surveyed said they would be finished with their holiday shopping before December began.” Looks like most of us like to put off Christmas shopping until last second.

You can check out the full article about Holiday shopping here!: https://news.gallup.com/poll/545537/december-holiday-rush-half-shoppers.aspx#:~:text=Overall%2C%2016%25%20of%20holiday%20shoppers,holiday%20shopping%20before%20December%20began.

Congratulations to Denise from Mount Vernon and Richard from Fredericktown, they’re are winners for the WNZR Christmas gift exchange today! They’ve both entered into our drawing to be one of our SEVEN grand prize winners, which will be announced Friday on The Morning Thing! Tomorrow is your last chance to play and win, so stay tuned on 90.9fm WNZR!

A stumper for today! That means next show’s ‘Who Am I’ is worth TWO five dollar Watts Restaurant Gift Cards!

Thanks for listening!-Judah

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