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Praise Thursday

You Have Made Me Glad…

made-me-glad

Today we shared the stories and scriptures behind more of WNZR’s songs…

The song “Made Me Glad” was released in 2001 by Darlene Zschech and Hillsong Worship. It references Psalm 92: 1-4: It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.

2 Samuel 22:2-3 also influenced the chorus of the song: The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent people you save me.

“Messengers” by Lecrae featuring For King and Country features these lyrics:

We’ve been given a call
Been forgiven, risen, we livin’ to give him our all
Rise up from your past it’s holding you down
This moment is all that matters the future is now
How will the people know if we don’t tell ’em if we fail ’em
They stumblin’ in the dark but the light is what we carry
Yea, don’t have to wonder your purpose or what you here for
Reflect his image and show the world what he cares for

That reminds me of Matthew 5, from the Sermon on the Mount: You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

TobyMac’s new song, “Love Broke Thru,” reminds us of the promises of Psalm 139:

SONG: I did all that I could to undo me
But You loved me enough to pursue me
Yeah, You drew me out of the shadows
Made me believe that I mattered, to You (You)

PSALM 139: Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Our Word of the Day is ellicit, a verb meaning to evoke or draw out (a response, answer, or fact) from someone in reaction to one’s own actions or questions.

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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More stories behind the songs…

crowder-lift

Today we shared more of the stories behind some of the songs we play at WNZR.

The first: Lift Your Head Weary Sinner by Crowder. Watch the video here.

David talked with NewReleaseTuesday.com about the story in the song:

One of the main narratives and the arc of the Gospel, even back to the Israelites, was the exit from Paradise and a longing to return to a relationship between the created and their Creator. Our stories are all of being exiled and longing to return home. It feels like one of the main themes running through Scripture is home, the ultimate home being union with the Divine. This song is right in the middle of that theme that has been woven throughout Scripture and my album. This song is a turning point. The word “if” in the song lyrics “if you’re lost and wandering” represents how the idea of sin, which necessitates this distance between us and God, is inherent in each of us. 

The idea of atonement is that we as Christians have placed our faith and hope in Jesus and His blood sacrifice on behalf of our sins. We are raised to a new life and a new reconciled existence between our Creator God and us. We get the story of the Temple veil being torn in two and the blood of Christ allowing our access to God. When you get to that word “if” in the chorus, it’s all inclusive. Everybody can answer “yes, I’m lost and wandering.”

We also shared the story of I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe.  Click here for the video. Lead singer Bart Millard shared this story with The Christian Post in 2004:

When my father died of cancer in 1991, he left me with the assurance that he was headed to a better place. He used to always tell me that I was getting the raw end of the deal because I had to stick around here. For several years following his death, I would find myself writing the phrase, I can only imagine, on anything I could find. That simple phrase would give me a peace and a hope thinking about what my dad was finally experiencing.

Years later, in 1999, MercyMe was writing songs for an independent project. I remember coming home from a show and being wide awake on our bus at 2 o’clock in the morning. I was trying to write lyrics in an old notebook of mine, when all of a sudden, I stumbled across that phrase. About ten minutes later, the song was written. Some people say it’s amazing that it was written in ten minutes, when really it had been on my heart for almost ten years.

Finally, we shared the story of Fix My Eyes by For King and Country…Video here. here’s what Joel Smallbone shared with NewReleaseTuesday.com:

We thought things were great and our lives had taken an awesome turn, but we took a step back and had a poignant moment while we were writing the song, asking ourselves who we are as people and as a band, and interjecting all of those things into a song. The chorus talks about everything from social awareness of third world countries, fighting for the weak ones, speaking up for freedom, fighting for abandon and risking it all for love. The chorus culminates in saying that we can do all of these things, but if we don’t fix our eyes, meaning repair our eyes, and fix our eyes on above, then all of these things are worthless. The bridge of the song was inspired by the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”

Our Word of the Day is paroxysm, a noun meaning any sudden, violent outburst; a fit of violent action or emotion.

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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Priceless Praise Thursday

priceless_officialposterToday we shared the story behind the music and movie project from For King and Country called Priceless.  Here is a link to the resource page for the movie that you can use to find our more information and share with family and church friends.

This link will take you to the Priceless campaign guide PDF.

We also shared the inspiration behind Lincoln Brewster‘s song and album Oxygen. Read the story from the Christian Post here.

If you click here, you can here the song Never Been A Moment by Micah Tyler, which we also shared.

Our Word of the Day was univocal (yoo-NIV-uh-kul), an adjective meaning unambiguous or having one meaning only. You can read more on that here. 

Have a great evening!

-Joe & Jess

 

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More Stories Behind the Songs

swallowtheoceanToday we shared more of the stories behind some of the songs we play on WNZR.

First, ‘No Longer Slaves’ by Bethel Music – here’s the link to the video which shares some of the story from Jonathan and Melissa Helser.

Next, ‘Swallow the Ocean’ by Newsong – a song inspired by a thirst for the knowledge and blessing that comes from above.  See the video here!

The 3rd song we heard was ‘Battles’ from The Afters – here’s the lyric video. Lead singer Josh Havens shared that Deuteronomy 31:8 inspired this song: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Today’s Word of the Day is vulnerary – an adjective meaning of or used in the healing of wounds.

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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Song-spiration Thursday!

jasongraydevo062116

Today we continued sharing some of the stories and scriptures behind the songs we play here at WNZR.

You Are Holy (Prince of Peace) by Michael W. Smith – Psalm 138: 1-2 and Isaiah 9:6 helped frame this worship song which exalts Christ as worthy of praise and also encourages us to live our lives for Him.

Victor’s Crown by Darlene Zschech – if you were listening today, you know how much Joe LOVES this song! Watch Darlene talk about the inspiration behind it… CLICK HERE

Sparrows by Jason Gray – here’s what Jason shared about the song with New Release Tuesday: “The Lord knows how inclined we are to fear. Two of the greatest weapons in the Enemy’s arsenal against our hearts are fear and shame. There are hundreds of verses that tell us to not be afraid, and one of the most poignant of those is where Jesus is speaking and knowing how fragile we can be in our anxiety, He tells us that God takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field and how much more He cares for us. The language Jesus uses is tender and gentle. Consider the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields, and aren’t we worth so much more? There’s a tenderness to it that is so kind and gentle. I wanted to capture that sentiment in the song.”

Our Word of the Day is cabal, a noun meaning a secret political clique or faction.

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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The Middle Of My Heart Is Yours

Today was Praise Thursday on the Afternoon Drive.

In the first hour, we focused on the song The Middle Of Your Heart by For King & Country.

You can find the lyric video for the song here.

If you click here, you can find a complete interview with Luke & Joel Smallbone from the band talking about the story behind the song.

In hour 2, we dove into the story behind Passion & Kristian Stanfill’s song My Heart Is Yours. You can find the full video for the song here. We shared Mark 10:26-30, which has some of the inspiration behind the song. You can check out those verses over here.

Our Word of the Day was implacable (im-PLAK-uh-bul), an adjective meaning not capable of being appeased, significantly changed, or mitigated. You can read more on that here.

Have a great Thursday evening!

-Jess & Joe

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Thursday Tomato Time!

tomato-boys

Dan Monnin and Eddie Dilts toast their chilled tomato juice at the Fredericktown Tomato Show.

Make sure you stay with our coverage of the Tomato Show through Saturday night.  Also make sure you check out Marcy, Jenna and Josh’s Facebook Live event tonight from the artist meet-and-greet during the Momentum Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Our Word of the Day was phalanx, a noun meaning a number of individuals, especially persons united for a common purpose.

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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Praise Thursday – Forgiveness (Matthew West)

Today was Praise Thursday on the Afternoon Drive. We kicked off a new series where we pick a song that we play on the station, and then dive into the story behind and meaning of the song.

Today’s focus was on Forgiveness by Matthew West. I shared the letter that inspired Matthew to write this song, plus his response on the power of forgiveness, both of which you can find here.

If you head over here, you can find an interview with Matthew West where he shared some more of the story and some verses that inspired the song.

The reason I chose Forgiveness for this week is because today is Kiss and Make Up Day, a holiday encouraging forgiveness. You can read all about that here.

Our Word of the Day was stultify (stuhl-tuh-fahy), a verb meaning to make, or cause to appear, foolish or ridiculous. You can read more on that here.

Have a great Thursday evening!

-Jess

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Commandments of using Social Media

struggles

Today we shared some of Pastor Craig Groeschel’s ’10 Commandments of Using Social Media’ from the book #Struggles. Read more about the book here.

  • Put God first in all you say and post – this doesn’t mean you have to start EVERY post with “this is the day the Lord has made,” but it means you approach each post and each conversation with Colossians 3:17‘s advice to represent Christ in ‘word and deed.’
  • Use social media to facilitate, not replace real relationships – social media can help us reconnect, but make sure you are using it to find face-to-face times where you can have real connection and conversation
  • Turn your virtual other cheek to posts that offend you – this is a tough one…it’s easy to lash out and respond when someone has wounded you. Proverbs 19:11 says our wisdom yields patience and it is to our glory to overlook an offense. Remember, that angry person probably needs our prayer rather than a nasty response.
  • Do not post out of emotion – another tough one. When in doubt, wait it out! We are constantly tempted to post when agitated or hurt, but we should post out of love.
  • Form your own opinions; do not just follow the crowd – God gave us a brain to think for ourselves. He gave us his Word to seek his will. He gave us his Spirit to guide us into truth (John 16:13). Resist the urge to blend in.

Today’s Word of the Day is panoptic, an adjective meaning to show or see the whole view at one time; like a panoramic view.

Congratulations to David of Utica who won our 4-pack of tickets to the Living Word Outdoor Drama.

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

 

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