Have you seen the movie, War Room? In this movie, you meet the character Miss Clara.
In the film, Miss Clara has a closet in her home that she calls her War Room.  It’s where she wages battle on her knees in prayer. This movie gives us a true picture of the power of prayer.

We found a wonderful article from the Missional Women website (www.missionalwomen.com). Blogger Lyli Dunbar shares 9 powerful scriptures to post on your War Room wall. Click HERE to be inspired and encouraged.

About Lyli

Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow and says to expect an early spring.

Buckeye Chuck DID see his shadow, so it’s 6 more weeks of winter for Ohio.

WHAT do you think? We think today is a great day to celebrate, no matter what the weather forecast tells us.

Click HERE to learn about the history of Groundhog Day.

Click HERE to find out why we celebrate Groundhog Day on 2/2.

If you want to see Phil’s prediction from Gobbler’s Knob, click HERE.

Click HERE for some great recipes to try for your Groundhog Day celebration.

#GroundhogDay

It’s officially February. First off, how have we gotten through one month of this year already? Secondly, we are into what those of us who are forced to deal with nasty Ohio weather could easily describe as the worst month of the year. What does February have to offer besides a rodent weatherman and cheap chocolate on the 15th? As it turns out, February, despite its flaws, is actually creative romance month.

That’s right, Valentine’s Day isn’t the only option for being romantic this month. You can beat the gray day blues by coming up with something unique for your special someone. And hey, we’re here to help you. We know that it can be tricky to come up with a new romantic move sometimes. So that’s why on the show we shared a list of creative romantic ideas. We covered everything from the outrageous to the affordable. You can check out the entire list here. And of course you can always put your own unique spin on them.

And just a reminder, our annual Valentine’s Banquet is coming up on the 12th, so if you want something fun and special to do as a couple we recommend checking it out. You can find all of the information right here.

(Picture courtesy of http://www.daysoftheyear.com)

Join The Morning Thing today and celebrate “International FUN at work Day”! 
The last Friday every January gives you a reason to add FUN to work.

Click HERE for 13 great tips on creating a FUN workplace.

Click HERE for more steps on how to have fun at work.

The Morning Thing Fave 5 this week remembers 5 FUN times at WNZR:
1. Marcy Rinehart has spent 20 years serving as WNZR Station Manager. It is difficult to pick just 1 FUN memory. There are SO many. She does remember a special scavenger hunt that happened last June when the WNZR student leadership team gathered for the annual planning/spiritual retreat. This hunt had 4 teams traveling all over town searching for crazy photos and videos. The entire team spent the evening laughing (and bonding).
2. Jenna Potts loves the week of Lifeline. She loves getting to know staff members that she doesn’t work with every day. She also loves being together as a staff for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the fun conversations that always happen around the conference room (dinner) table.
3. Aubrey Bailey’s favorite fun memory is getting to hang out with other WNZR DJs, having dinner, laughing and praying for Lifeline 2016. She is looking forward to meeting every Thursday night for the next few months.
4. Wesley Boston’s favorite fun memory was when he represented WNZR at the Alive Festival after his freshman year at MVNU. He slept outside in a tent, went 3 days without a shower, but saw a lineup of amazing artists and met some amazing people.
5. Joe Rinehart and Jessica Wells were guest co-hosts on The Morning Thing on Monday. They love to have fun outside the studio. They always have fun on WNZR Video shoots (especially when the camera unintentionally discovers a coach picking his now – a coach from the opposing team). 🙂

It’s time to celebrate food again…something that we love to do on The Morning Thing.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.daysoftheyear.com)

It’s Blueberry Pancake Day. Yummy! Click HERE to find out more about this yummy celebration.

Click HERE for a recipe for Cake-Mix Blueberry Pancakes. Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen

Click HERE for a recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis – Jade’s Mini Pancakes with Blueberries.

Click HERE for Bobby Flay’s recipe for blueberry pancakes. He adds Orange-Honey Butter and Cinnamon Maple Syrup! Yummy!

Click HERE for 56 different healthy recipes using blueberries. This little fruit is so versatile and good for you!

(Photo courtesy of http://www.daysoftheyear.com)

It is also National Kazoo Day. Click HERE for a history of this special day and instrument.
Click HERE to hear our own WNZR Kazoo band featuring Wesley Boston and Josh Pope.

In the 8am hour, we shared bible verses on prayer. Click HERE to find encouragement for your day.

Today is an exciting day for The Morning Thing! Its Chocolate Cake Day! Join us in celebrating this amazing dessert! Wesley loves to eat his chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. Jenna loves to have a big cup of milk or coffee with her’s. However, you love it, indulge in chocolate cake today!

Check out this link for recipes of some of the best chocolate cakes!

And, if you aren’t a chocolate lover but can’t resist eating a few fries with your ketchup check out this link. We found out that condiment packets are not meant to last forever. They actually expire! So, make sure you clean out out your car and fridge!

And…. GUESS WHAT??!!!
WNZR’s annual Valentines banquet is only a couple weeks away! This year’s theme is “Love & Laughter”. We will feature a discussion on how humor is important for all relationships, but is essential when a couple is striving for a healthy, loving relationship.

We will have a Couples Challenge with fun games and fabulous prizes. Couples attending the banquet will have the opportunity to sign up to participate in Love Song Poetry, Movie/TV Trivia and How Well Do You Know Your Spouse.

An Italian buffet dinner will be served including chicken parmesan, fettuccini alfredo, tossed salad, antipasto salad, fruit salad, garlic bread sticks and chocolate layer cake for dessert.

Guests will also get the chance to win from over $1,000 dollars’ worth of door prizes!

But, tickets are limited to the first 50 couples! You can get your tickets at the WNZR studios in Founders Hall on the campus of MVNU or at the Gospel supply shop in downtown Mount Vernon.

For more information check out our website HERE!

The Morning Thing celebrated Music Day today with BIG news for WinterJam fans.
WinterJam is headed to movie theaters. See all the details below.

Click HERE to see a list of theaters in Ohio showing THIS IS WINTER JAM.

Dear Winter Jam Fan, On Tuesday, April 19th at 7:00 pm experience a once-in-a-lifetime big-screen spectacular at a movie theater near you. THIS IS WINTER JAM captures the life transforming ministry of Winter Jam, as you’ve never seen it before. From unforgettable live performances from Skillet, Jeremy Camp, Francesca Battistelli, for KING & COUNTRY, Building 429, Family Force 5, NewSong and more, to unprecedented backstage access, and never-before seen interviews from Winter Jam artists past and present, THIS IS WINTER JAM offers an exclusive insiders look at the heartbeat of Winter Jam – a passion to see lives changed forever by the Gospel of Jesus. PLUS… be the very first to see the world premiere of for KING & COUNTRY’s brand-new music video “Priceless”, featuring exclusive scenes from their upcoming theatrical film. WATCH THE TRAILER JamTour.com/movie

Today is National Opposite Day, so we decided to switch shows!

Joe and I guest hosted the Morning Thing, and Marcy and Wesley will be hosting the Afternoon Drive later today!

You can find all the information we shared about National Opposite Day by clicking here.

Since it’s Opposite Day, we shared some words that you probably didn’t know had opposites. You can find that list here.

We also shared some words that are their own opposites, and you can find all of those here.

We talked about Winter Storm Jonas, and shared some of the recording-breaking snowfalls from across the US. You can find the complete list here.

And here’s the Enterprise ad featuring For King & Country that we talked about.

Have a great week!

-Jess

Are you looking for a perfect vacation spot for 2016?

Click HERE to see a list of the 2016 best solo trips from http://www.smartertraveler.com
The Morning Thing team thinks this list includes great spots for anyone, including families. We would all LOVE to go to New Zealand.

MT Fave 5 for the week of January 18th
As winter weather continues to hit us, we are finding that we are spending more time thinking about vacation.

Here are our 5 favorite vacation destinations:

1. DisneyWorld! Orlando, Florida is the ultimate location for family fun and great for kids of all ages.
2. Washington D.C. – there are SO many things to do and places to go. Look for the “free” museums and make sure to visit all the memorials and the National Mall.
3. New York City – AMAZING! This is the city that never sleeps. Take in a Broadway play, visit Rockefeller Center and see the Statue of Liberty. Save some money before you go, because everything is expensive.
4. Grand Canyon. Wesley Boston says that the first view of the canyon is breathtaking. It seems to go on forever because you can’t see the other side. This is on the vacation bucket list for Marcy Rinehart, Aubrey Bailey and Jenna Potts.
5. The Beach. Good ones include: St. Augustine, Florida; Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Daytona Beach, Florida.

We know that most of us will not be hopping on a plane this weekend to head to an exotic vacation destination. 🙂 (We can dream, right?!)
So, to get you ready for another wintery Ohio weekend, we shared some yummy crock-pot soup recipes. Click HERE for a comforting recipe to try this weekend.

Marcy loves this recipe for beef stew, click HERE.
Jenna wants to try this recipe for potato soup, click HERE.
Click HERE for a Taco Soup recipe. This one is sure to add a little heat to your winter nights.

Stay WARM and SAFE this weekend!

The Morning Thing shared Life Hacks from a fun website
Click HERE to have some fun!

– Predict the weather by looking at your coffee
– hot water and salt can help you take care of a clogged toilet
– chip clips can help you get the last few drops of toothpaste out of the tube

Have a life hack to share? Email us at wnzr@mvnu.edu

We also shared some information about a wonderful event happening at East Knox High School on Friday, 1/22/16. Click HERE to hear our conversation with teacher, Kevin Oldaker about the Basketball Spaghetti Night!