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Who Knew Wednesday!

Today on Who Knew Wednesday Joe and I shared a bunch of information about the advent season!

We shared some information from Rob L. Staples who is a professor of theology emeritus at Nazarene Theological Seminary.

Advent is preparation for Christmas, not Christmas itself. It is only in commercial advertising that the Christmas season begins the first of December (or the first of October!). In the Christian calendar, Advent is the season including the four Sundays preceding Christmas. Christmas Day is December 25, and the Christmas Season itself is the 12 days from Christmas to Epiphany. Remember the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” with “a partridge in a pear tree?”

Epiphany, which celebrates the coming of the Magi, the first Gentiles to acknowledge Jesus as King, is January 6. Epiphany means “showing” or “unveiling” and thus “unveils” the truth that salvation was for Gentiles as well as Jews.

Advent differs from Christmas in the same way Lent differs from Easter. Both Advent and Lent are times of preparation—Advent for Christmas and Lent for Easter.

The Christian calendar, unlike the calendar on our walls or desks, does not begin January 1. It begins the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is that season when the Church turns its gaze in two directions—past and future. It looks backward as it prepares to celebrate the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, and it looks forward as it engages in self-examination in preparation for Christ’s Second Coming in glory.

The word “advent” comes from the Latin adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival.” Thus in certain contexts, it means the same as the Greek parousia. However, the latter term occurs in the New Testament only with reference to the Second Coming. During the Advent season, both these “comings” of Christ are embraced in the Church’s worship—His coming in the Incarnation and His coming at the end of the age.

Advent emphasizes hope, and it is this hope that makes Advent a proper preparation for Christmas.

Christian prayer during Advent might be summed up in the word “Come.” It is the “Come, Lord Jesus” with which the Book of Revelation ends. Some of the Advent hymns blend the joy of the Good News of Christ’s nativity with the expectation of the Second Coming. The hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” expresses the Advent hope, as does Charles Wesley’s hymn, “Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus.” Although Christ has been present in the world all along, we pray for His presence to take on a special intensity during Advent (Matthew 28:20).

God’s advent among us is so profound that we can never fully grasp the mystery of incarnate deity. So we must continue to remember and experience anew, year after year, the reality of light in the midst of the world’s darkness. At Advent, we experience the fear and joy and hope that Christian worship expresses in the story of God’s coming to judge the world in the form of a helpless Child lying in a manager who was to give His life to save His people from their sins.

This sheds light on our Christmas celebrations. Christmas is far richer and deeper than a mere sentimental remembrance of the birth of Jesus. Of course, we should value the

tenderness of the image of the “sweet little Jesus boy, born in a manger,” but Christmas means much more.

“Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!” is a reminder that the One who came to Bethlehem is indeed our Redeemer—the One into whose dying and rising we are baptized (Rom. 6:4), just as He was baptized in the Jordan and into our human condition.

As we move toward Christmas, let us not skip Advent!

What we see as we worship may be almost as important as what we hear. Some churches use an Advent wreath as an aid to worship during the Advent season. It is a circular evergreen wreath with five candles, four around the edge of the wreath and one in the center.

Usually, three candles are purple (the color of Advent), and one pink or rose-colored. The three purple candles may represent hope, peace, and love. The pink or rose candle stands for joy at the soon advent of the Savior.

On each Sunday of Advent, one new candle is lighted, accompanied by appropriate Scripture reading. In the center is a white candle, called the Christ Candle, which is lighted on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, or if there are no services on those days it may be lighted on the fourth Sunday of Advent, along with the pink candle.

We also played the Christmas Gift Exchange! Congratulations to Becky from Mount Vernon who got to play and pick something from under our tree and was registered to win our grand prize! Click HERE if you want more information.

Here is our Troyer’s Trivia question:

Can you name two out of the top five of the worst gifts from the 12 days of Christmas?

Answers:

  1. Maids a milking – 19 
  2. Lords a Leaping – 18 
  3. Geese a Laying – 14 
  4. Drummers Drumming – 11 
  5. Partridge in a Pear Tree – 11 
  6. Calling Birds – 7
  7. Pipers Piping – 6
  8. Turtle Doves – 6
  9. French Hens – 5
  10. Swans a Swimming – 3

Congratulations to Dallas from Utica who guessed Maids a milking and Geese a Laying and those answers won him that $5 gift card to Troyer’s of Apple Valley!

Thanks for checking out our blog!

– Hannah and Joe

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Mystery Monday!

Today Todd and I gave you some chances to win with our Mystery Monday Question and a Christmas Gift Exchange!

Here is today’s Mystery Question:

Can you name two out of the top five most popular Christmas songs? 

  1. Jingle Bells – 45
  2. White Christmas – 16
  3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – 8
  4. O Holy Night – 7
  5. Silver Bells – 6
  6. We Wish You a Merry Christmas – 5
  7. Silent Night – 4
  8. Jingle Bell Rock – 3
  9. Joy to the world – 1
  10. All I Want for Christmas is You – 1

Congratulations to Jana from Utica who guessed Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and won that $5 gift card to Troyer’s of Apple Valley!

Here are the fun facts that we shared about these Christmas songs:

  • “White Christmas” is the top-selling Christmas song of all time. The song was written by Irving Berlin, a Russian Jewish immigrant who also wrote “God Bless America.”
  • The song “Jingle Bells” was written in the 1850s for a Unitarian church by James Lord Pierpont, but it wasn’t written for Christmas. It was originally written for Thanksgiving and called “One Horse Open Sleigh”.
  • “Silent Night” is one of the most recognizable songs at Christmas Mass and on a radio playing non-stop holiday music. (While most people recognize the lyrics “Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright,” the original lyrics are “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht, alles schlaft, einsam wacht.”) The song was originally written in German in 1816 by Father Joseph Mohr, a Catholic priest in Austria. Two years later, it was set to music by Franz Gruber. It was translated into English by John Freeman Young of Manhattan’s Trinity Church.
  • Silver Bells, written in 1950 by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The original title? “Tinkle Bells.” The title was changed when Livingston’s wife told him about the double meaning of tinkle. 

We also played the WNZR Christmas Gift Exchange! Congratulations and thanks to Karen from Mount Vernon who played the WNZR Christmas Gift Exchange with us and won a gift from under our tree! If you want more information, click HERE.

Thanks for checking out our blog!

– Hannah and Todd

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Praise Thursday: Week 3

Today Joe and I dove back into our devotional, Fearless: overcoming the stronghold of fear. Fear is something almost all of us will battle during our lifetime, trying to paralyze you from truly living life. This devotional will lead you through five choices that will strengthen you and help you be victorious over fear.

Today’s choice is: Choose love over hate

Psychologists say that the base of all emotions is either love or fear. The brain also dictates that it cannot hold two contradictory thoughts simultaneously and that the most robust thought pattern wins. In your battle against fear, one of the greatest weapons at your disposal is love. You are loved—more than you know. Once you realize how very loved you are, you can garner the strength to fight this spirit of fear. God gives us a spirit of love and not one of fear.

Learn to live—loved. A loving heart is a loved heart. You cannot say you love others yet hate yourself—or them. Fear would have you traverse the complex road of unforgiveness and hate. These two concepts bind you further in chains. A forgiving heart is a forgiven heart and in that, there is no place for hate. Fear will lie to you and keep you captive, whereas love guides you into freedom. Love is the way of the kingdom of God.

My daughter and I prayed, shortly after the armed robbery, to forgive the men who attacked us, and we had to do it numerous times. God’s love quiets our anxious or fearful hearts. His love enables us to forgive and bless. It’s not easy, but that is the narrow road of the Kingdom of God.

When fear knocks at your door with its accomplices, unforgiveness, and hate, then respond in the opposite spirit and let love lead.  

How can you embrace the love of God so that you can be set free from the chains of fear?

The verses we reflected on today:

  • Luke 10:27 – “ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
  • 1 John 4:18 – ” There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
  • Zephaniah 3:17 – ” The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love, he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” 

Our prayer:

“Lord, help me remember that you give me a spirit of love and not one of fear and that when I understand just the smallest bit how much you love me,  I have the greatest weapon against fear. Fear doesn’t have a chance against Your great love, and we praise you for that. Help me to not get caught in the chains of this world, in the chains of unforgiveness and hate. Nudge my heart when I head down the road of unforgiveness and hate and remind me that a forgiving heart is a forgiven heart; and in that, there is no place for hate. Give me the courage to lay my fears and hurts at your feet and to forgive as you have forgiven me.  Amen” 

You will never guess what game we played 😉 The WNZR Christmas Gift exchange! Congratulations to Charla for Utica and Casey from Apply Valley who were caller number nines! If you want to know more about this, click HERE. 

Thank you for checking out our blog!

-Hannah and Joe

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Who Knew Wednesday

Today Todd and I talked about a somewhat mysterious Christmas Carol, The 12 days of Christmas!

Here is what we talked about:

What are the 12 days of Christmas?

The 12 days of Christmas is the period that in Christian theology marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi, the three wise men. It begins on December 25  and runs through January 6. The four weeks preceding Christmas are collectively known as Advent, which begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on December 24.

The history of the carol is somewhat murky. The earliest known version first appeared in a 1780 children’s book called Mirth With-out Mischief.  Some historians think the song could be French in origin, but most agree it was designed as a “memory and forfeits” game, in which singers tested their recall of the lyrics and had to award their opponents a “forfeit” — a kiss or a favor of some kind — if they made a mistake.

Many variations of the lyrics have existed at different points. Some mention “bears a-baiting” or “ships a-sailing”; some name the singer’s mother as the gift giver instead of their true love. Early versions list four “colly” birds, an archaic term meaning black as coal (blackbirds, in other words). And some people theorize that the five gold rings actually refer to the markings of a ring-necked pheasant, which would align with the bird motif of the early verses.

In any case, the song most of us are familiar with today comes from an English composer named Frederic Austin; in 1909, he set the melody and lyrics (including changing “colly” to “calling”) and added as his own flourish the drawn-out cadence of “five go-old rings.”

The song is not a coded primer on Christianity

A popular theory that’s made the internet rounds is that the lyrics to “The 12 Days of Christmas” are coded references to Christianity; it posits that the song was written to help Christians learn and pass on the tenets of their faith while avoiding persecution. Under that theory, the various gifts break down as follows, as the myth-debunking website Snopes explained:

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch,” which gives the history of man’s fall from grace.

6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation

7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments

8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit

10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments

11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles

12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed

The partridge in the pear tree, naturally, represents Jesus Christ.

If you want some more information on the 12 days of Christmas, like how much it would cost to buy all of these items, click HERE. 

We played the WNZR Christmas gift exchange and had two lucky people pick a present from under our tree! Click HERE if you want to know more.

Here was today’s Trivia question:

Question: What Christmas decoration was originally made from strands of silver?

Answer: Tinsel
Congratulations to John from Utica who guessed right and won a $5 gift card to Troyer’s of Apple Valley!
Thanks for checking out our blog!
-Hannah and Todd
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Artist News Day Game Time Tuesday

Today Todd and I had a jammed packed Afternoon Drive for you and plenty of chances to win!

Here is the Artist News that we shared today:

News Boys and Michal W. Smith Join Forces for the Surrounded and Untied Tour

SKILLET opening for BREAKING BENJAMIN

Not only did we play the WNZR Christmas Gift Exchange once, but twice! Congratulations to Kristina from Fredricktown and Cheryl from Danville who played the WNZR Christmas Gift Exchange and got some pretty awesome gifts from under our tree here at WNZR! If you want more information on The WNZR Christmas Gift Exchange, click HERE.

Here are today’s Song Poetry lyrics:

Taking all I have and now I’m laying it at Your feet
You have every failure God, and You’ll have every victory.

Congratulations to Lori from Brinkhaven who correctly guessed that our song was “You Say” by Lauren Daigle! She won that $5 Gift Card to Troyer’s Apple Valley!

Thanks so much for listen and checking out our blog!

-Hannah and Todd

 

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Who Knew Wednesday: French Toast

Today Todd and I talked about French Toast day!

According to the Apicius, a collection of recipes from the early 5th century AD, the dish we now know as the French toast existed as early as the age of the Roman Empire. In their style of French toast, called Pan Dulcis, Romans would soak bread in milk (and sometimes also egg) mixture, then fry it in oil or butter.

The breakfast favorite French toast goes by many names depending on where it’s being served up – eggy bread, German toast, poor knights’ pudding, Bombay toast – but it’s always made of the same key ingredients. Egg, milk – or cream – and bread. This delicious sweet snack is often served with sugar or syrup and fruit and consists of bread slices fried in a mixture of milk and egg. In France, its name is ‘pain perdu’, which literally means ‘lost bread’, because it would often be made with stale or old bread.

In Italy, there’s a savory version, called ‘mozzarella en Carrozza’, which sees the egg-soaked bread sandwiching slices of mozzarella cheese before it is fried. Its name literally means ‘mozzarella in a carriage’. So you can have eggy bread for your main meal, and your pudding!

Here is our trivia question for today –  When did the phrase “French toast” first appeared in print?

Answer: In the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink in 1871.

Congratulations to Janice from Mount Vernon who guessed our trivia question right! They won a five dollar gift card to Troyer’s of Apple Valley!

Robert Irvine’s French Toast Recipe

Vanilla French Toast

Ina Garten’s Raspberry Baked French Toast

Food for the hungry is right around the corner! If you want to know more, you can click HERE.

Congratulation to Sonja from Centerburg who won the MVNU messiah tickets! If you want to know more, click HERE. 

Thanks so much for listening!

Hannah Radke

 

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Mystery Monday – Thanksgiving Number 2

Today was Mystery Monday on the Afternoon Drive! Today, Malisa, Joe and I had a fun Thanksgiving Mystery Question!

Here it is: Name a popular Thanksgiving Tradition:

Answers:

1. Eating the Thanksgiving Meal

2. Visiting with family

3. Watching the Parades

4. Watching the Football Games

5. Black Friday Shopping

Congratulation to Bernalle from Mount Vernon who guessed the top two questions and won that $5 gift card to Troyer’s of Apple Valley!

Did your mouth water when Joe shared his experience with Deep-fried Turkey, so did Malisa and I’s! Here is a recipe for Deep-fried Turkey! 

We have a ton of events coming up here at WNZR and we want to see you at each of them! Here is more information on each:

Sunday, November 25 – Mount Vernon Christmas Parade and Walk

Saturday, December 1 – Fredericktown Christmas Walk

Saturday, December 8 – Food For The Hungry 

Today was the last day that Operation Christmas Child was accepting drop-offs and most drop off locations are closed – BUT! You can still build your shoebox online – click HERE to build your shoebox for $25!

Thanks for checking out our blog!

Hannah Radke

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Who Knew Wednesday

This week is time for you to get packing, packing shoeboxes to be more specific! Operation Christmas Child has opened up its many drop-off locations to make it easy for you to drop off your shoeboxes! Collection started on the 12th and will wrap up on Monday, November 19. The clock is ticking, its time to get your box ready!

Here are some of the drop off locations in and around Mount Vernon:

  • Brandon Baptist Church, 13513 Sycamore Road in Mount Vernon

  • Faith Baptist Church, 8764 Martinsburg Road in Mount Vernon

  • Grace Pointe Community Church, 892 E Columbus Road in Utica

  • Johnstown Independent Baptist Church, 7397 Johnstown Alexandria Road in Johnstown

Here are the times these churches are accepting boxes!

What is Operation Christmas Child?

  • This operation is run by an organization called Samaritan’s Purse, a charity inspired by the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke. Here is the Samaritan’s Purse Mission Statement:  Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is some more information on this great organization!
  • Since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse has partnered with local churches around the world to deliver 157 million Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to children in need in 160 countries. Each one—packed full of fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items by a family or individual—is sent with prayer that the child who receives it will experience God’s love through their simple gifts.
  • This year, Operation Christmas Child is celebrating 25 years!

How do I participate?

  • Easy! You can pack a shoebox! Here are the steps:
    • 1. Find a Shoebox – Start with an average-size cardboard or plastic shoebox. If you want to wrap it, cover the box and lid separately.
    • 2. Girl or Boy? Decide whether you will pack a box for a girl or a boy, and the age category: 2–4, 5–9, or 10–14.
    • 3. Fill with Gifts – Select a medium to large “wow” item such as a soccer ball with a pump or stuffed animal, then fill with other fun toys, hygiene items, and school supplies.
    • 4. Pray- Most importantly, pray for the child who will receive your gift. You can also include a personal note and photo.
    • 5. Follow Your Box Labels – Donate $9i online and receive a tracking label to Follow Your Box and discover the destination of your shoebox gift.
    • 6. Drop-Off – Take your shoebox gift to a local drop-off location during National Collection Week, November 12–19, 2018.

Don’t have time to pack your box at home? Good news! You can now build your box online, for just $25! Want more information? Click HERE!

This day in history:

  • Apollo 12 was the sixth manned flight in the United States Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon. It was launched on November 14, 1969, from the Kennedy Space Center,
  • This Doesn’t get near as much attention as Apollo 11, the first manned flight to the moon
  • Mission commander Charles “Pete” Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean performed just over one day and seven hours of lunar surface activity while Command Module Pilot Richard F. Gordon remained in lunar orbit.

Our Trivia Question for today:

What percent of the universe is dark matter? 

Answer: 27%

The rest of the universe is around 68% dark energy, and less than 5% of the universe is made up of what we would consider “normal” matter. This means that roughly 80% of the mass of the universe is made up of material we cannot see.

Congratulation to Megan from Gambier who won a $5 gift card to Troyer’s of Apples Valley for correctly guessing today’s trivia question!

Thanks for checking out our blog! Have a blessed day and thank you for support of the Afternoon Drive!

Hannah Radke

 

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Who Knew Wednesday!

Today Todd and I shared with you an interesting topic-  No Shave November!

What is the purpose of No Shave November?

The goal of No-Shave November is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free. Donate the money you typically spend on shaving and grooming to educate about cancer prevention, save lives, and aid those fighting the battle.

Participate by growing a beard, cultivating a mustache, letting those legs go natural. If growing out your hair isn’t something you’re into, that’s fine! You can still support someone who is participating this month.

The rules of No-Shave November are simple: put down your razor for the month of November and donate your monthly hair-maintenance expenses to the cause. Strict dress-code at work? Don’t worry about it! No shave November encourages participation of any kind; grooming and trimming are perfectly acceptable.

Interested in joining the cause? Want to know more about No Shave November? Here is more information!

We also launched a NEW chance to win a $5 gift card to Troyer’s of Apple Valley! Here is the first ever Who knew Wednesday Trivia Question:

It’s believed cavemen used Clams and ______ as shaving instruments.

Answer: Shark Teeth

Congratulation to Spencer from Utica who won our first Who knew Wednesday trivia question!

Homecoming Who-Knews:

Golden Gala

Homecoming Concerts and Music Showcase

Gold Rush 5K 

We had two people registered to win in the Totally Tasty Tom Turkey Hunt today!

Thank you so much for checking out our blog!

Hannah Radke

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