Driving Notes

Mystery Monday Jam!

Today we launched our Winter Jam 2019 pass giveaways…

Our artist trivia question was: The Newsboys won their first two Dove Awards in 1995. The first was for Rock Album of the Year for “Going Public.” The second was Rock Recorded Song of the Year for what song?

The answer? Shine.

We also played Mystery Monday trivia with this ‘Family Feud’-style question, asking you to come up two of the top five answers to this question: Name something you haven’ t done since high school gym class.

The top five answers? 1- Run a mile. 2- Dodgeball. 3- Push-ups. 4- Sit-ups or crunches.
5. Lift weights.

Congratulations to Ruth of Mount Vernon who guessed #1 and #3 and wins the $5 gift certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

January 7, 2019 0

NZ Top 10 Friday! 1/4/19

Good First Friday of 2019! This week’s countdown includes:

10. Zach Williams – SURVIVOR
9. Josh Baldwin – STAND IN YOUR LOVE
8. for King & Country – JOY
7. Sanctus Real – CONFIDENCE
6. TobyMac – EVERYTHING
5. Casting Crowns – ONLY JESUS
4. Micah Tyler – EVEN THEN
3. Hillsong Worship – WHO YOU SAY I AM
2. Tauren Wells – KNOWN
1. Lauren Daigle – YOU SAY

We also added three new songs this week – click the images for the videos!
Lauren Daigle – LOOK UP CHILD

I Am They – SCARS

Pat Barrett f/Cory Asbury – BUILD MY LIFE

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd

January 4, 2019 0

Doing what we say we believe

New Year’s resolutions… we hear about them all this week. But what does it really mean? To RESOLVE to do something different in 2019.

Today we’re discussing some ideas for us to consider if we call ourselves Christians; people “of and for Christ.” What are some things we could resolve to do differently in 2019 as believers? Author and producer Phil Cooke offered some suggestions in an article this week where he challenged readers to do things that show we actually believe the Bible. Here are a few:

READ THE BIBLE: Research from the Center for Bible Engagement shows that engaging the Bible four or more times a week actually causes visible behavioral changes. But it also showed that only about 19% of church-going Christians read the Word daily and 40% said they read the Bible, “once a month, rarely, or never.”

The survey is revealing, and you can find it here: https://backtothebible.org/research

TAKE PRAYER SERIOUSLY: The research shows that only 63% of Christians say that prayer is essential. So think about what that means…more than a third of us think it’s not? Even when we attend church?

1 John 5:14: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

God delights in answering prayers that align with his will. But how do we know what God’s will is? The most reliable way to know is by reading his Word. As we seek God through Bible reading and prayer, we get to know his heart and gain wisdom and spiritual insight. This gives us a greater understanding of how to pray according to his will, and a greater chance of having our prayers answered.

Why would we not do this?

The next one…

BE THE CHURCH INSTEAD OF JUST GOING TO CHURCH: this means we get connected to church not just for what we can get out of it, but for what we can give back to it. Being a vital and supportive member of a local congregation. This also offers chances for us to serve. Hebrews 10:25 reminds us to “not neglect our meeting together, but encourage one another.”

Here’s one you may not have thought of…

BE MORE MINDFUL OF SOCIAL MEDIA: what does this mean? It means that we take it seriously. How we consume it and how we contribute to it. Don’t be the critical and judgmental one. Sometimes we also pass on information without verifying its truth or authenticity. Try not to undermine the work of the gospel with the way you are using your social networks.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd

January 3, 2019 0

Resolving into 2019!

Thanks for hanging out with us today for the first Afternoon Drive of 2019!
Today we talked about some of the resolutions that we’re making and how to keep with them! Read today’s Morning Thing’s blog on resolutions here!

Todd’s resolutions are to be more active, work on his discipline, and to focus more on his personal upkeep!
Lilly is aiming to eat (healthier), read more instead of spending so much time on social media, and stay constant with my devotionals.
Jordan Lewis, on-air DJ at WNZR is looking to stay positive this year!

About 80% of people fail their New Year’s resolutions by February.
What’s the secret to keeping the resolutions? Here are three quick things to check your resolutions against.

Keep it Simple
Many people use the New Year as an opportunity to make large bucket lists or attempt extreme makeovers, whether personal or professional.
Make it Tangible
Setting ambitious resolutions can be fun and inspiring, but the difficulty in achieving them means that your elation can quickly give way to frustration. That’s why goals should be bounded by rational, achievable metrics.
Make it Obvious
Experts recommend charting your goals in some fashion, although there’s no universal strategy for success. For some, making a clear to-do list is enough of a reminder; others rely on “vision boards” or personal diaries.
An emerging tactic: share your goals with your friends and family. It’s another way to build accountability, especially in the Facebook era.

Thanks for listening!
– Lilly and Todd

January 2, 2019 0

NZ Top 10: Best of 2018

Today we had our last NZ Top 10 of 2018! Wow!
For today’s show, we counted down the top 10 songs of 2018.
Be sure to listen to the Morning Thing share the top 30 songs of 2018 on December 31st!

Here are your top 10 songs of 2018!

10. Do It Again – Elevation Worship
9. Confidence – Sanctus Real
8. Who You Say I Am – Hillsong Worship
7. Control – Tenth Avenue North
6. Known – Tauren Wells
5. Grace Got You – MercyMe (ft. John Reuben)
4. Fear is a Liar – Zach Williams
3. Joy – For King & Country
2. You Say – Lauren Daigle
1. Reckless Love – Cory Asbury

Here’s some fast facts about our Best of 2018 Countdown…
– Our #1 song is nominated for a Grammy Award and was named the Song of the Year at the 2018 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards
– Our #1, #2, #3, #5 and #6 songs are all nominated for the “Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song at the 2019 Grammy Awards!
– Zach Williams, Lauren Daigle and Elevation Worship are all nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album of the Year at the 2019 Grammy Awards!

Be sure to listen on December 31st for more awesome music from 2018!

Also, check out a couple of our favorite songs from 2018 that aren’t in the top 10!
Not Today – Hillsong United
Born Again – Austin French
If You Ain’t in it – Danny Gokey
Everything – TobyMac

Thanks for listening!
– Lilly and Todd

December 28, 2018 0

Fearless: Week 5

Today we wrapped up our devotional on dealing with fear! This has been such an insightful devotional, helping us combat something I think we all deal with.

Here’s today’s devotional:

There is a certain beauty that comes when we surrender our lives to the Lord. In that place of surrender, we receive the power from God to be more than a conqueror. We are no longer a slave to fear because of our position in Christ. The final choice this week is to surrender your very life instead of striving to defeat your fear(s) in your own strength.

We follow Jesus’ example. In learning to overcome, we must first lay our lives down. We yield our will to the Lord. We surrender our feelings to Him. We abandon our very lives. When we learn to surrender to the One who created us, we become free.

I discovered that when I gave up my fears to the Father and I received His love, I was able to start healing. Fear no longer had a hold over me. I was ready to embrace living a fearless life because as a child of God, I could overcome. It was by His power and strength that I could let truth lead—that I could apply wisdom to my lifestyle—to make right decisions and changes that lead to the wellbeing of my life and my family. It’s not by my own strength. I could not conquer fear without the power of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding me.

God wants to heal you from any form of fear. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as you surrender your fears to Him. Listen to His voice. Learn to think full, clear thoughts and walk free. You can live free because Christ has set you free from fear in all its forms.

Live a surrendered life because that’s the key to living a fearless life.

What do you need to surrender to God as you conclude this devotional?

Some of the scriptures we talked about today:
Luke 9:24-25
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

John 10:10-11
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Our prayer for today…

Jesus, I pray that you bring me to a place of surrender. In You, I am more than a conqueror, I am no longer a slave to fear, and I surrender my life, Lord, instead of trying to win my battle against fear by my own strength. Help me to lay my life down and yield my will to you. Surrendering my feelings to You, abandoning my very life. Help me give up my fears and receive Your love, so that fear no longer has a hold on me. Remind me that living a surrendered life is how I live a fearless life. I will be fearless in You as I lay my life at Your feet, Jesus. Amen.

Thanks for listening!
– Lilly and Todd

December 27, 2018 0

Christmas and Candy Canes!

Thanks for hanging out with me today for the Afternoon Drive!
Today on the show, I gave a little recap of my Christmas day which involved lots of music and lots of good food! I also talked about today’s fun holiday… Candy Cane Day! I gave some history and fun facts about this traditional Christmas treat! Did you know that candy canes have a religious symbolism to them? Keep reading to find out more! We also talked about a few ways to fight through the post-Christmas depression.

Of course, it’s not the Afternoon Drive without some giveaways, right?
Today we gave away a $5 gift certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley playing some Christmas trivia!
We played Family Feud style, of course. Looking for the number one answer…
Our Question? Name a popular Christmas food.
Our number 1 answer? Cookies with 18 votes!
2. Ham – 16
3. Fudge – 11
4. Eggnog – 8
5. Hot Chocolate – 6

Congratulations to Doug from Mt. Vernon! He guessed correctly!

Thanks to our friends at Days of the Year for the history of the candy cane!
The original candy cane was made 350 years ago. Over time the candy cane has become a symbol and tradition during the Christmas holiday, used as a decoration for Christmas trees. The first candy cane was not made in the shape of a cane. It was white, completely straight and only flavored with sugar. According to German folklore, the first candy canes were made in the 17th century when a choirmaster in Germany needed to find a way to keep the children quiet during the exceptionally long Christmas Eve Mass.

So he ordered peppermint-flavored candy sticks from a local confectioner, but with a few twists of his own, steeping them in religious symbolism. He requested the sticks to be shaped as a visual representation of the canes that the shepherds coming to visit the baby Jesus might have had. Some also say that when turned upside-down, the candy cane becomes the letter J, which stands for Jesus. Of course, the sticks were colored white (to represent the sinless, pure life Jesus lived) and red (to represent the blood Jesus lost when he was crucified for the sins of mankind).

Here’s some fast facts about this Christmas treat!
Each year about 1.76 billion candy canes are made
90% of candy canes are sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Candy canes are the number one selling non-chocolate candy in the month of December.
The biggest single week for candy cane sales is the second week in December.
A Geneva pastry chef broke his third Guinness World Record by creating the world’s longest candy cane in 2012, measuring at 51 feet long. The previous record was 38 feet.

Christmas can be hard time for some, and we need to acknowledge that “Post-Christmas Depression” takes effect on many. There are a few ways to manage the post-Christmas depression you may be feeling, and number one is to take care of yourself.
From Halloween to New Year’s, Americans tend to redefine the basic food groups to sugar, fats, and sugar. “Enough” is redefined as “stuffed.” Get back to a healthy diet with reasonable portions. Add a walk at least once a day and a more regular bedtime. Regular routines of self-care may have disappeared over the past month but you can reclaim them.

Take a meditative few minutes a couple times a day. Focus on what did go right over the holidays. It’s an old-fashioned idea but “counting your blessings” is an antidote to the blues. Kids home for the week? Get down on the floor and enjoy kid time. Play with the blocks and Legos. Help the kids make a fort or tent with the couch cushions. Read together. Play video games, watch a movie, play some music together. Honestly just be grateful for the time you get to spend with them.

Call a friend. Steer the conversations away from a festival of complaints and commiseration to a lively conversation of what has been going well and what you can laugh about. Sharing humor is a great way to lift the spirits.

Make a pact with yourself to do something small but positive for yourself at least five times a day. Stay in that hot shower a few extra minutes. Get nicely dressed and comb your hair. Make the bed up clean. Straighten up your kitchen. Make yourself a cup of tea and let yourself have 10 minutes to savor it. It’s letting yourself follow the Parks and Recreation “Treat Yourself” rule.

Arrange things to look forward to. This is something that I do even away from the holidays. The holidays aren’t the end of the world, they are only the end of the holidays. Try and shift the focus from the holidays to everyday things that give us pleasure. Make a coffee date with a friend or a movie date with your spouse. Set things, even small things, on the horizon to look forward to in small increments to get yourself through, week by week. Step by step.

Thanks for listening!
– Lilly

December 26, 2018 0

The Reconciliation of Christmas

On this Christmas Eve, we finish our three-day study from Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren where he offers us three major purposes for Christmas. We discover those purposes in the announcement the angel made in Luke 2:10-14 at the birth of Jesus Christ.

The first purpose of Christmas is celebration: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Thursday 12/20 show)

The second purpose of Christmas is salvation: “for unto you is born this day a savior who is Christ the Lord.” (Friday 12/21 show)

The third purpose of Christmas is found in Luke 2:14: “glory to God in the highest and on Earth, peace; goodwill toward men. So the third purpose of Christmas is reconciliation.

What is reconciliation?

Reconciliation is when a broken relationship is restored; reconciliation IS peace on Earth, goodwill toward men. As Pastor Warren shares, “there will never be peace in the world until there is peace in nations. There will never be peace in nations until there is peace in communities. There will never be peace in communities until there is peace in families. There will never be peace in families until there is peace in individuals. And there will never be peace in individuals until we invite the Prince of Peace to reign in our hearts.”

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 reminds us of this fact: “for unto us a child is born, to us a son is given and he will be called Prince of Peace.”

There are three kinds of Peace – A peace with God is a spiritual peace; the peace of God is emotional peace; and peace with others is relational peace.

Peace with God: If you’re trying to live your life without God, then you’re at war with God…and you need a peace treaty! How do you make peace with God? Well, you don’t do it by promising to be good. You don’t do it by being perfect. You can’t. You don’t do it by never sinning. You will. You make peace, the Bible says, by faith, faith in God’s grace. Ephesians 2:8 says “for by Grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

The Peace of God: it happens in your heart when you’ve made peace with God. You’ve got two choices in life. In every circumstance you can pray or panic. You can worship or worry.

Here’s a thought: if you (we) prayed as much as you (we) worried, you’d (we’d) have a whole lot less to worry about. Philippians 4: 6-7 says, “pray about everything…Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Finally, Peace with Others: a relational peace. 2nd Corinthians 5:18-20 says, “God reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation… and he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors.”

In other words, God has given us both a ministry and a message and it is reconciliation – helping people find peace with God and peace with each other.

In the beatitudes in Matthew 5:9, Jesus says “blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” The greatest need in our nation and in our world is reconciliation. It’s the message of Christmas: peace on Earth, goodwill toward men.

Who do you need to rebuild a broken relationship with this Christmas? Who do you need to reconcile with? You need to let Jesus fill you with his love, so you can love other people the way he does. And then, you’ll have to let him fill you with his forgiveness. Until you feel truly forgiven, you don’t have the ability to forgive others.

Remember, Jesus came to erase the misconceptions about God – he was sent to show us what God is really like! Christmas tells us that we matter to God.

We are thankful for you! A blessed Christmas to you and your family.
– Joe and the Afternoon Drive team (Lilly, Hannah, Todd and Malisa)

December 24, 2018 0

The salvation of Christmas!

We’ve been sharing this week from Pastor Rick Warren’s book and study, The Purpose of Christmas, which offers us three major purposes for Christmas:

A time for celebration
A time for salvation
A time for reconciliation

The second purpose of Christmas can be found in the very next statement the angel made in Luke 2:10-11. Luke 2:10 reminds us to celebrate, but then…

¹¹The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

The second purpose of Christmas is salvation.

Surveys confirm that around 90% of our society prays on a regular basis…so people recognize their need for someone greater than themselves and ultimately to save them from something they can’t solve on their own.

Salvation is usually three-dimensional. You are saved from something, you are saved for something, and you are saved by something.

Jesus came to save you FROM sin. Sin is an attitude; it is a pride problem.

Sin is saying, “ I want to be my own boss. I don’t need God.”

Romans 3:23 reminds us that everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard. The problem with sin is that it separates us from God. Isaiah 59:2 reminds us that our sins are the “roadblock” between us and our God; that’s why he doesn’t answer our prayers.

Jesus came to set you free from your sin. But there’s something else you need to be set free from. You need to be set free FROM yourself. Romans 7:24-25 says “I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me?” The answer, thank God is, that Jesus Christ can and does.

The answer to your problem is not in a place, a program or a pill. It’s not jumping into another relationship. The answer to your sin problem and to your dissatisfaction in life is Jesus Christ. You need a savior.

Jesus also came to save you FOR a purpose. 2 Timothy 1:9 reminds us that, “God saved us and called us to be his own people; not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose and Grace.”

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Ephesians 1 reminds us that long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up “he had his eye on us; had designs on us for glorious living…part of the overall purpose he is working out and everything and everyone” (Message version). God has a plan and a purpose for your life. He’s had it all along! As your creator, he knows what’s best for you.

Pastor Rick says we can live life at one of three levels: the survival level, the success level, or the significance level. Hopefully we know that we were made for significance. Significance comes from what? Knowing God, knowing his purpose for your life, and then doing it. You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life is never going to make sense.

Finally, Jesus came to save you by his grace. What is Grace? Grace is when God gives you what you need and not what you deserve. One good acronym for Grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

Ephesians 2:8-9 remind us that by Grace we have been saved; through faith and not from ourselves…it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.”

The good news is this – Jesus Christ came to save you. He came to save you from your hurts, your habits and your hang-ups. He came to save you for his purpose and by his grace.

Congratulations to our Christmas Gift Exchange winners Tim from Gambier and Mary from Mt. Vernon!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Lilly

December 21, 2018 0

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