If you are ready to make the most of the fall season, Ordinary & Happy has the perfect resource – a Fall Bucket List! It is packed with 100 fun ideas to help you soak up everything autumn has to offer.
Check it out and have some FALL FUN this week!
We love the “Places to Go This Fall” Planner from Ordinary & Happy because it encourages you to look a little closer to home. Sure, those famous parks and big cities are stunning this time of year—but sometimes we miss the beauty, the community, and the fun happening right in our own towns.
This planner is a great way to think about nearby parks, local events, and simple meet-ups with friends and family to soak in the season.
Click HERE to see the list at Ordinary and Happy.com
Today on The Morning Thing, we shared 20 different ways to spend some quality time together as a family. This list of great ideas comes from Crosswalk.com
Click HERE to see the full list.
Here are some of our favorites:
Everybody loves family movie night. Typically, there is a theme like all the movies in a series or even a certain genre.
Cook a cozy, comforting meal together. We all know that family dinner time is important, so make it more special by preparing a meal together. Think meatloaf and mashed potatoes, cozy casseroles, and comforting soups. You could even try a recipe or two that you’ve never made before to shake things up. It can be as extravagant or as simple as you wish.
Get a whiteboard or bulletin board and hang it where everyone in the family can see it. Buy either dry-erase markers or post-it notes and push pins. Each week, have everyone write what they are thankful for so everyone can see it. Then on Friday nights at dinner, talk about your week and the things you are grateful for.
Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, it’s also cheaper than going out to lunch or dinner. Get up early on a Saturday morning and head to your favorite breakfast joint. Don’t forget to keep an eye out online, in your email, and also your snail mail for coupons. You can also go directly to the website and see if there are any specials going on as well. Enjoy the restaurant’s fall specials, like pumpkin pancakes or pumpkin spice coffee.
Do some research and see if there are any fall festivals in your town or neighboring towns. If so, spend the day together as a family. There will be lots of things to see and do, and it will do you good to be out in the crisp, fall air.
S’mores are a staple in the fall, so fire up the bonfire or fire pit and gather ‘round. However, you don’t always have to make the traditional graham cracker, marshmallow, and Hershey bar kind. There are tons of variations online.
I have seen s’mores made with horizontal slices of granny smith apples with caramel melted in the middle. Chocolate chip cookies with marshmallows and a chocolate bar melted in the middle. And s’mores made with chocolate graham crackers, peppermint patties, and marshmallows in the middle. There are lots of delicious variations, so have fun. You could even make several kinds and have friends over to enjoy after family dinner.
Pitch a tent or two and sleep under the stars one night as a family. Sit around the fire pit and talk, admire the moon and the stars, and thank God for his creation. Slow down and enjoy the surrounding nature.
Thanks to the author for these great ideas!
Carrie Lowrance is a freelance writer and author. She has had her work featured on Crosswalk, iBelieve, Huffington Post, and the Penny Hoarder. She is also the author of three children’s books, three clean romance books, one romance novella, three books of poetry, and one non-fiction book. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and baking, reading, and hanging out with her husband, and sweet cat, Cupcake. You can find out more about Carrie and her writing at www.carrielowrance.com.
Our co-hosts celebrated National School Lunch Week! For their Friday Favorites this week they shared their favorite school lunches from grade school.
Many of us love The Chosen but now it’s time for The Chosen Adventures! This is a new animated series based on bible stories.
Ryan Swanson, the writer for both The Chosen and The Chosen Adventures, joined us to tell us about his story and how these projects came to life! He also gives us insight into the new animated endeavor and when we can see it!
Click HERE to learn more about The Chosen Adventures!
WNZR talked with Kristin Hankins who is the 7th-12th Grade Supervisor at the Chapel Hill Christian Academy! She tells us all about their church and their fall fest that is coming up this Sunday. There will be music, games, activities and a bunch of candy!
Today we celebrated Conflict Resolution Day by talking about the 5 C’s of conflict resolution, and we also shared the best strategies for most common situations.
Here are the 5 C’s of Conflict Resolution:
Here are some of the best strategies in common situations:
1. Workplace Conflict
2. Romantic Relationships
3. Family Disputes
4. Friend Conflicts
5. Online or Social Media Conflicts
WNZR got to talk with Derral Eves, the Executive Producer of “The Chosen”!
Derral tells us about his backstory and how the very popular show came to be. He also shares some information regarding a new project called “The Chosen Adventures”! It will be an animated series that would come out on Amazon this month, on October 17th!
To learn more about The Chosen Adventures, click HERE!
Phil Maddux, president and CEO, sat down and talked with us about MMS Aviation.
MMS Aviation serves missionary aviation by training apprentice mechanics and pilots, and maintaining missionary aircraft.
He shared a little about their 50th anniversary celebration that is happening this weekend, the history of MMS, and some of their future goals.
Their 50th anniversary celebration will take place Saturday from 9am-5pm and on Sunday from 1pm-5pm.
To learn more about MMS Aviation click HERE!
The 56th Annual GMA Dove Awards Broadcast was shared by Trinity Broadcast Network on Friday, 10/10/25. The night was full of exciting performances including a few surprise guests.
Brandon Lake took home 5 awards including Song of the Year with “Hard Fought Hallelujah”.
Click HERE to read the Dove Awards Press Release from the Gospel Music Association.
To see the full list of winners, click HERE.
The Dove Awards broadcast will re-air Friday, October 17th, 2025, At 7:30pm and 10:00pm ET on TBN, the TBN+ app, and TBN YouTube.
Here is a highlight of the 2025 Winners. Congratulations to all nominees!
SONG OF THE YEAR –
Hard Fought Hallelujah by Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll
Writers: Brandon Lake, Jelly Roll, Steven Furtick, Chris Brown and Benjamin William Hastings
ARTIST OF THE YEAR – Forrest Frank
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR – Leanna Crawford
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR (ARTIST) – Brandon Lake
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR (NON-ARTIST) – Mitch Wong
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR – Jeff Pardo
POP/CONTEMPORARY SONG OF THE YEAR –
Your Way’s Better by Forrest Frank
Writers: Forrest Frank and Pera
GOSPEL WORSHIP RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR –
Come Jesus Come by CeCe Winans and Shirley Caesar
Writers: Hank Bentley, Bryan Fowler, Stephen McWhirter and Tara McWhirter
WORSHIP RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR –
I Know A Name by Elevation Worship, Chris Brown and Brandon Lake
Writers: Brandon Lake, Steven Furtick, Jacob Sooter and Hank Bentley
INSPIRATIONAL RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR –
The Jesus Way by Phil Wickham
Writers: Phil Wickham and Jonathan Smith
BLUEGRASS/COUNTRY/ROOTS SONG OF THE YEAR –
Hard Fought Hallelujah by Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll
Writers: Brandon Lake, Jelly Roll, Steven Furtick, Chris Brown and Benjamin William Hastings
CHRISTMAS RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR –
Joy To The World by CeCe Winans
Writers: Traditional
POP/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR –
CHILD OF GOD by Forrest Frank
Producers: Forrest Frank, Pera, Noah Conrad, JVKE, Jackson Foote, Johnny Simpson, Zac Lawson and Splash Of Soda
WORSHIP ALBUM OF THE YEAR –
When Wind Meets Fire by Elevation Worship
Producers: Steven Furtick, Chris Brown, Josh Holiday and Chandler Moore
ROCK/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR –
Trustfall by Stephen Stanley
Producers: Stephen Stanley, Tedd T. and Jake Halm
CHRISTMAS/SPECIAL EVENT ALBUM OF THE YEAR –
Hallelujah! It’s Christmas! By Phil Wickham
Producers: Jonathan Smith, Josh Auer, Jerad Atherton, Tyler Halford, Ben Lounsbury and Aaron Robertson
RECORDED MUSIC PACKAGING OF THE YEAR –
Heaven On My Mind by TobyMac
Art Directors: Nathan Blaine, Aaron Stearns and Trent Nicholson
Graphic Artists: Nathan Blaine and Aaron Stearns
Photographer – Robby Klein
SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (CONCEPT) –
Can’t Stop Me by TobyMac
Director: Eric Welch
Producer: Scott McDaniel
SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (PERFORMANCE) –
Hard Fought Hallelujah by Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll
Directors: Brandon Lake and Jacob Boyles
Producers: Jacob Boyles, Rachel Mulcahy, Sadie Schwanberg and Caleb Cook
LONG FORM MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR –
A Drummer Boy Christmas (LIVE) by for KING & COUNTRY
Directors: Joel Smallbone and Kadin Tooley
Producers: Joshua Walsh, Stephen Preston and Luke Smallbone
FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR –
The King of Kings
Director: Jang Seong-ho
Producers: Jang Seong-ho and Kim Woo-hyung
TELEVISION SERIES OF THE YEAR –
The Chosen
Director: Dallas Jenkins
Producers: Dallas Jenkins, Chad Gundersen and Chris Juen
