Today’s Monday Motivation starts with a message about our Lifeline theme, “You Keep Hope Alive.”
Romans 15:13 (ESV) “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
What is hope? As a noun, hope is: “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen…“a feeling of trust”…“grounds for believing that something good may happen.”
As a verb, hope or hoping is “wanting something to happen or to be the case…intend to do something; cling to a possibility.”
Romans 15 concludes Paul’s teaching that those strong in faith ought to sacrifice their own desires to live in harmony with other believers. Paul shows that God always planned to welcome the Gentile nations, and his mission is to introduce Gentiles to the message of salvation by faith in Christ. He’s letting all know that the hope God represents is not limited to a certain few; since salvation is for all, then hope is for all.
Why is God the God of hope? Because of the evidence of Christ’s death and resurrection. His triumph over sin and death. (“You keep hope alive, Jesus, you are alive!) His gift of the Holy Spirit, our advocate, who is with us and allows to always have hope in our future in eternity, with Him. Christ with us and in us IS, as Paul writes in Colossians 1:27, the “hope of glory.”
This is not just a New Testament revelation. Jeremiah 29:11 told us that God’s plans for us are to prosper us and not harm us, to give us a hope and a future.
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Jonathon shared Patricia Raybon’s “Hearing Us from Heaven,” reminding us that our Heavenly Father hears our prayers. Read it by clicking here.
Name something you might rent on a sunny day: 1- Boat (34 votes) 2- Car/Convertible (19) 3- Umbrella (14) 4- Bike (12) 5- Movie (9) 6- Jet Ski (3)
Congratulations to Shanna from Howard, who guessed correctly and wins the WNZR drawstring backpack!
Praise the Lord it’s Friday! Here’s this week’s countdown:
10. MercyMe f/Sam Wesley – On Our Way 9. Micah Tyler – Walking Free 8. Jordan Feliz f/Mandisa – Jesus is Coming Back 7. Danny Gokey – Stand in Faith 6. Ryan Ellis – Heart of the Father 5. We Are Messengers – Come What May 4. Jordan St. Cyr – Weary Traveler 3. TobyMac – Promised Land 2. Sanctus Real -My God is Still the Same 1. Crowder – In The House (3rd week at #1)
Today on the show we shared devotionals from Our Daily Bread. We also had our weekly Bible trivia where one lucky person has a chance to win a Voice of the Cougars Drawstring Backpack.
Here are our devotionals from Our Daily Bread:
Dylan’s devotional is titled, “Genuine Hope”. You can find the link here.
Jonathon’s devotional is titled, “Shining Light”. You can find the link here.
Question: What was the goal of building the Tower of Babel? Answer: To reach Heaven (God).
Congratulations to Mary Ann of Martinsburg for guessing the correct answer! She wins a 2021 Voice of the Cougars Drawstring Backpack!
Learn What Your Name Means Day is celebrated annually on the Wednesday in the first full week of March. It is part of Celebrate Your Name Week.
The day encourages us to dig deeper into the origins of our name and figure out the meaning behind it. Our names are an integral part of our identity, yet it is the one thing we do not get to choose. As a part of the campaign launched by American onomatology and hobbyist Jerry Hill in 1997, an entire week was dedicated to exploring the beauty of our names, and their deep history.
While surnames are passed down to generations and hold immense historical context and relevance, our first names are chosen by our parents. Our surnames are a window into the lives that our ancestors led, while our first names are a gateway to our own personalities. Our names hold a lot of power, and with current information, we can decide the course of our lives through it. With a little bit of research, we can discover the meaning behind our names.
I did a little bit of research myself and here’s what I found out. Dylan is a Welsh name traditionally given to boys. It means “son of the sea” or “born from the ocean.” Dylan is derived from the Welsh words “dy”, which means great, and “llanw”, which means flow. Dylan’s popularity as a first name is owed greatly to the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. His most famous work you might recognize is the poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.”
The name Joseph comes from the Hebrew verb ‘yasaf’ meaning, “to increase.”
BEAT THE BOX OFFICE!
Tysha from Mount Vernon was our winner! She correctly guessed that We The Kingdom has won three GMA Dove Awards. She wins a pair of tickets to the show August 1 at the Ohio State Fair!
Well, this may be the busiest Artist Newsday we have had in quite a while! Dylan and I brought you up to date on some of WNZR’s favorite artists who hit the news this past week.
Last Friday, Matt Maher released his new single titled “Leaning” featuring Lizzie Morgan. You can find the single on any digital platform that you listen to music on. He explains this song as an honest yet poignant look at life’s toughest seasons and how Jesus tells us that we’re not alone. Here is what the chorus of the song reads.
“What a fellowship, what a joy divine what a priceless gift God I’m yours and You are mine, Let my restless soul be still and know I am leaning on your everlasting arms.”
Here is what Maher and a couple of his co-workers had to say on the song. “There are times in life where on either side of a difficult season you’re either asking, ‘How am I going to get through this?’ or, you’re on the other side looking back in amazement saying, ‘How did I get through this?’ That’s where I find that the most sincere, real, authentic prayers get prayed,” he shares. “You’re praying out of desperation or gratitude and you find out what your support structure looks like – friends, family, loved ones who come around you hold you up. They become real signposts for the face of Jesus. But what about those who have no one? What does Jesus have to say to them? He says, ‘I no longer call you strangers, I call you friends. This is what I find so compelling about the friendship of God and the message of Christianity. Life is not a stacked tower of personal achievement, pride, egos, success, or vanity…it’s extending to others what Jesus says in the scriptures. ‘In this world, you will have trouble. But you are not alone. You can put your weight on me.'”
This isn’t the only song that Maher is planning on releasing this year. He will be on the road quite a bit this year with plans to travel to Europe to tour with Rend Collective, along with visiting numerous summer and fall festivals. You can visit his website for more information regarding tour dates and upcoming events.
K-LOVE recently announced via live-stream that reigning Christian Songwriter of the Year Matthew West and ten-time GRAMMY nominee Tauren Wells will co-host the 9th annual K-LOVE Fan Awards taking place on May 29 at Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry House.
Both artists are excited to host, releasing statements soon after the announcement from K-LOVE.
“I’m looking forward to hosting the K-LOVE Fan Awards again this year, and excited to be joined by my buddy Tauren Wells,” remarked West. “This fan voted awards show is always a special event where we get to gather together and celebrate how God is working through the hope-filled messages of Christian music. This will be a night to remember.”
“The K-LOVE Fan Awards is always a highlight of my year. Getting to reunite with all the artists I love and respect in our genre, developing deeper connections with fans, and celebrating the God who has given us something to sing about is something truly special,” said Wells, who released his new single “Fake It” last week. Adding, “This year, I will experience the awards from a different vantage point as a host alongside K-LOVE Fan Awards veteran, Matthew West. He has done such an incredible job and I can’t wait to team up!”
The 2022 K-LOVE Fan Awards are open to the public, providing an experience for fans that is impossible to match anywhere else. Tickets are on sale with travel packages still available at www.klovefanawards.com.
Huge thanks to Jesus Freak Hideout for covering these amazing artists with amazing articles that we use for all of our shows!
In the waiting, in the searching In the healing and the hurting Like a blessing buried in the broken pieces
Congratulations to Julie of Frazeysburg for correctly guessing that the lyrics for today are from Zach Williams’ hit song “There Was Jesus”, sung alongside Dolly Parton! Julie wins the Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack!
Today we did the first of two ‘Beat the Box Office’ contests with the Ohio State Fair, to win tickets to see Zach Williams and We The Kingdom on August 1st.
Today’s question: Zach Williams was born in Pensacola, Florida, but calls what city and state home? Answer? Jonesboro, Arkansas!
Congratulations to Rodney from Gambier, who got the answer right and wins the pair of tickets!
From Bob Weaver’s “A Word from the Weaver”
SYNERGY may not be a word you use every day, but hopefully you put it into practice every day. It is the idea that two people working together on a project, can accomplish more than they could working on the same project, separately. Working together can be difficult, you may have to surrender your individual will for the good of the team. In a society deluged with advocates touting messages of individualism, the old Biblical theme of unity still holds great value.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor”. Or, if you go fur ther back to the creation story, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18), so He created someone to help the man so the two of them could work together.
At a state fair in Southern California there was an event where horses were being hitched to sleds piled high with weights, to see which horse could pull the most weight. Two horses individually pulled 9,000 pounds. They then hitched these two strongest horses together on the same wagon. The horses didn’t pull 18,000 pounds – a doubling of their individual efforts, instead; together, in true teamwork, they pulled 35,000 pounds.
We could use some of that kind of team work in Congress, in our churches, and in our families!
When asked what he considered the most valuable skill in employees, John D. Rockefeller once replied, “The ability to get along with people!” One of my professors in Bible College used to say that the devil works in subtraction and division while God works in addition and multiplication. If you look around our world today, I think you will agree that we more division or subtraction, but addition and multi plication would be nice. Be willing to lend a hand to someone else, or accept their offer of help with your project; both of you will be glad you did.
Oh, Lord, make me a team player, instead of a lone ranger.
Jonathon shared “Success and Sacrifice” from Our Daily Bread and Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Praise the Lord it’s Friday! Here’s this week’s countdown:
10. Micah Tyler – Walking Free 9. MercyMe f/Sam Wesley – On Our Way 8. for King & Country – Relate 7. Ryan Ellis – Heart of the Father 6. Danny Gokey – Stand in Faith 5. Jordan St. Cyr – Weary Traveler 4. Sanctus Real -My God is Still the Same 3. We Are Messengers – Come What May 2. TobyMac – Promised Land 1. Crowder – In The House (2nd week at #1)
Alyssa Sidle joined me today for Praise Thursday, as we shared inspiration from Our Daily Bread and from ‘A Word from the Weaver.’
Alyssa shared ‘In God We Put Our Trust,’ from author Regie Keller. Read it by clicking here.
I shared Bob Weaver’s ‘Ever Wonder Why?’
Life does not always turn out the way we would like, and if you are like me, you sometimes find your self asking God, your friends, and anyone else who will listen, “Why?” A wayward child. A spouse who leaves. A job that you worked at faithfully is terminated. A cancer diagnosis. Why, is one of those questions people ask me sometimes, and a lot of times I do not have a good answer because I am wondering the same thing myself. The apostle Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians (13:12) that “now we only see and know dimly, and in part, but one day we will know fully”. God is always using our past experiences for future opportunities.
The idea of understanding it better sometime in the future does offer some comfort, but most of the time, the best it can do is quell our anxious minds. This is where faith in God’s goodness and care comes into play. The Bible repeatedly speaks of God giving good gifts to His children and of how much He cares for us. If today you are going through an ongoing difficulty whose origin and possible conclusion seem vague at best, just speak to the Lord of your frustration; but end your prayer with a sincere resolve to place it in His capable hands. I am reminded of Lauren Daigle’s song “Trust in You”. My friend, that is what you and I need to do today.
How many sons did Jacob (from Genesis) have?
A: 12
Congratulations to Miles from Bellville, who wins a copy of ‘A Word from the Weaver’ and a WNZR drawstring backpack!
Today on the show I shared a little bit of history about Ash Wednesday. I also talked about ways the Nazarene Church is helping in Ukraine.
Here is the history behind Ash Wednesday:
Ash Wednesday, the Wednesday six weeks before Easter Sunday – March 2, 2022, – is a Christian holy day of fasting, sacrifice, and prayer. Followers of Jesus, of several sects and denominations, often forgo a regular meal schedule, instead eating only one normal-sized meal and two very small ones over the course of a given 24-hour period, especially on Good Friday.
The custom of ashes on the head is a little more recent, being attributed to Pope Gregory I the Great (circa 540-604 A.D.) who accompanied the ceremonious symbolism with a verse that loosely translates to, “Remember that you come from dust and that to dust you will return.” In the 20th century it became more common for a priest to intone, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” The main thrust overall is that when the faithful set aside certain bodily comforts, they may settle into an attitude of penitence, recognizing their past sins and the sacrifice that Jesus made to cleanse them of those sins. The physical expression of the day, administered by priests and pastors, is palm ashes on the head, either sprinkled onto the scalp or smudged in crucifix form onto the forehead.
· I was born on March 2nd, 1904, in Springfield, Massachusetts · I attended Dartmouth College and was a graduate student at Lincoln College where I got my famous name. · I left Oxford in 1927 to begin my career as an illustrator and cartoonist for Vanity Fair and Life. · I worked in animation and film department for the United States Army during WWII. · Some of my famous books include The Lorax (1971), Green Eggs and Ham (1960), and Oh, The Places You’ll Go (1990) · I died on September 24th, 1991, in San Diego California at the age of 87.
I am Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)
Congratulations to Joy of Bellville for guessing the correct answer! She wins a 50 day devotional book written by Pastor Bob Weaver!
Driving Notes 