Driving Notes

Today’s Monday Motivation features Joseph Rojas, lead singer of Christian rock band Seventh Day Slumber, who joined Alyssa Sidle of WNZR ahead of Winter Jam 2024.

Joseph gives an update on what the band has been up to recently including going on tour with Chris Jericho’s band. He then shares how exciting it was to get the news that Seventh Day Slumber had been invited to tour on Winter Jam.

Joseph gives a preview of what Seventh Day Slumber will have in store for the Winter Jam crowd. To wrap things up, Joseph plays a round of rapid fire with Alyssa.

To learn more about Winter Jam 2024 click HERE.

To hear the full conversation with Joseph Rojas listen below or click HERE.

Name an animal that would be very quiet if you kept it as a pet.

Congratulations to Bob from Apple Valley, who guessed those top two answers and wins the $5 gift card to Watts Restaurant in Utica.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

Today we honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by sharing a devotional from Pastor Victoria Curtiss, written as a tribute to him.

Matthew 5:43–48

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (NRSV)

Jesus said that anyone can love those who love them in return. What distinguishes people of God is the way we treat those who oppose us—our enemies. Just as God shows love to everyone, so are we to show love to everyone. This inclusivity is the meaning of “be perfect” as God is perfect.

What a fitting scripture for the day we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The key to the life of Dr. King is found in his Christian faith. He responded to violence with nonviolence, to hate with love. Dr. King was always looking toward reconciliation after the battle, because his approach was grounded in the gospel. He wrote, “It was the Sermon on the Mount, not a doctrine of passive resistance, that inspired the Negroes of Montgomery to social action. It was Jesus of Nazareth that stirred [them] with the creative weapon of love.”

Martin Luther King recognized that the heart of the gospel proclaims that love can really change a situation of conflict and enmity: love reaching out toward the oppressor, love pushing negotiation, love offering forgiveness and newness. It wasn’t that he lacked an appreciation for the persistence and power of evil. It was rather his evangelist’s faith. He really believed that the intolerant and prejudiced sheriffs and politicians were sheep who had strayed from the fold, who had the potential to be converted. However powerful evil is, love is more powerful still. “Remember him,” said Coretta Scott King, “as a man who refused to lose faith in the ultimate redemption of [humanity].”

Prayer

Thank you, God, for the witness of Martin Luther King Jr. Guide me as Christ’s follower to love as you love—everyone without exception. I lift up my enemies to you and pray for their well-being. Amen.

Here’s the link to today’s ‘Our Daily Bread’ MLK-themed devotional from Karen Pimpo, “Be Filled.”

Today’s question: How many GMA Dove Awards has Jeremy Camp won?
Today’s answer: 6

Congratulations to Cody from Mount Vernon.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Dylan