Today for our Friday Favorites, The Morning Thing hosts shared their favorite things that happened this week.
Click HERE to hear from Marcy, Eric, Shawn and Xander.
The Morning Thing Friday Favorites 2/21/25
Today is National Leadership Day!
Do you think you are a leader? Many people say yes, but often people get in over their heads believing they are good leaders and fail.
On the Morning Thing Thursday, Eric shared ways that you can lead like Jesus, even if you’re not in charge.
Two important things to remember are
• Be empathetic: Whenever something bad or unexpected happens, put yourself in the person’s shoes and try and think how they feel before reacting. Everyone is fighting a battle of some kind and it could be a sign that they need help in more ways than just at work.
• Don’t be just a leader, set the example (Eric uses S-T-E as a reminder). Many employees believe that their bosses live by the credo, “Do as I say, not as I do.” That is not a good attitude to have when dealing with anyone.
The bible teaches us “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)
Click HERE to read the full article.
Mount Vernon’s Ariel Foundation Park Named to Ohio’s Creativity Trail
Click HERE to hear the full conversation.
On the Morning Thing Wednesday, Olivia Toth with the Knox County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau talks about Ariel Foundation Park being added to Ohio’s creativity trail. The creativity trail is a new initiative from the America 250-Ohio Commission.
She says the honor came about working with the commission on adding the park to the trail. She knows it’s a wonderful place, but they want to show the creativity behind the park itself as well.
Olivia gives more information about the park which sits just outside downtown Mount Vernon. It changed from an industrial site to a place where hundreds of thousands of people have visited. There is a ton of free activities including fishing and boating.
She also gives the park’s website and talks about the upcoming events tab on the page including the Summer Kickoff Concert this year.
Click HERE to find out more about Ariel-Foundation Park
Make Positive Changes in Your Life in Just Two Minutes
Making a big change in your life does not have to be monumental or time consuming.
On the Morning Thing Tuesday, Marcy, Xander and Eric gave 10 quick habits you can do to make a positive impact including:
• Review and appreciate your day at the end of it. If something negative happens, don’t dwell on it. Appreciate what you did and thought.
• Set a low bar for happiness for the day. Feel happy about the things you have instead of focusing on what you don’t have.
• Breath when you are stressed. Site down. Focus on breathing through your nose for two minutes. It will help you calm down.
• Be interested instead of interesting. Pay attention to whoever you are talking to and not just for the next time when you can talk about your day. If they are having a bad day try to lift them up instead of trying to “one up” them.
• Finally, be empathetic. If you feel the need to judge someone, take a minute and ask yourself: What part of the person do I see in myself or how is she or he like me?
As Christians we are to serve others with humility and compassion (Philippians 2: 3-4) and loving your neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31).
Click HERE for more tips from Henrik Edberg’s post on the Positivity Blog.
WNZR’s Meet the Staff Monday with Ethan Hershberger
WNZR’s Meet the Staff Monday feature is back! 13 NEW DJs are joining the WNZR Staff this month!
Today, we introduce you to Ethan Hershberger. He is a Freshman Worship Arts Major from Wooster, OH.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation.
Ethan talks about his journey to MVNU and WNZR. He remembers taking a station tour with Joe Rinehart and describes it as “magical”!
Ethan is active on campus. He is part of the Collegians Chorale, Una Voce Acapella group and plays on the MVNU E-Sports Team.
He shares some memories from this year and some of his favorites, including collecting comic books.
Ethan talks about how God has been working in his life, including his search to find the real Jesus. His favorite bible verse is Ephesians 3:20.
You can hear Ethan Hershberger on WNZR on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10pm – 11pm.
WNZR’s Meet the Staff Monday with Braden Taylor
WNZR’s Meet the Staff Monday feature is back! We are welcoming 13 NEW DJs to our airwaves this month!
Today, we introduce you to Braden Taylor. He is a Freshman Communication & Media (Digital Media) Major from Lima, OH.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation.
Braden’s parents and grandparents attended MVNU. His grandfather was a professor! He got interested in radio because he heard about WNZR from MVNU Graduate and Radio Personality Obadiah Haybin, who was his Dad’s roommate in college.
Braden is part of the MVNU Theater Club and will be in the spring musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He also helps tutor students through the Hola Program.
He shares his favorite food and WNZR Artists and talks about memories he has made here at MVNU.
Braden talks about how God has been working in his life. His favorite bible story is the story of Joseph. He likes the lesson of that story – that God knows better than us!
You can hear Braden Taylor on WNZR on Thursdays at 3pm and 10pm.
Small Gestures Can Be Romantic Too!
On the Morning Thing Friday, Marcy and Shawn had a list of small gestures that are surprisingly romantic.
Let’s face it. Not everyone likes Valentine’s Day, especially the commercialism that surrounds the day. Instead of doing a “big thing” on Valentine’s Day, try doing “little things” all the time to show your love.
Here are some of the suggestions from Imom.com:
• You hold hands in a crowd.
• Thank each other for the little things.
• He gasses up your car and you make him lunch.
• You put away the phone when you talk.
• You do something you said you were going to do.
Just remember no little thing should be overlooked despite how “minor” you think it may be and simply say “Thank you.”
Even the smallest thing could be “the mustard seed” in your relationship with each other.
“He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
Matthew 13:31-32 (NIV)
Click HERE for the complete article written by Abby Watts on Imom.com
The Morning Thing Friday Favorites – Valentine’s Day
It’s Valentine’s Day! The Morning Thing hosts celebrate with Friday Favorites. Today, the hosts share their favorite romantic moments with their sweethearts.
The Morning Thing has Information on How to Be Romantic for Valentine’s Day
On the Morning Thing Thursday, Marcy and Eric continued our discussion of alternative ways of being romantic. These are a little different and “think outside the box.”
• Obvious: Buy flowers. You typically can’t go wrong with red roses, but you should pick your partner’s favorite color if its available.
• Go on a long walk or a long drive.
• Write them a heartfelt letter
• Take them to do their favorite activity. It could be dancing, it could be karaoke, maybe skydiving (just kidding).
• Make them a playlist. This is the 21st century version of a mix tape (remember those?)
Click HERE for 100 Ways to be Romantic from Romantic Retreats. It Is an English site, but it does have some good ideas.
We also had some great ideas for fun valentine’s day activities for the kids.
• Love Jar: When you or the kids see an act of kindness or God’s love demonstrated, write it down and put it in a jar. At the end of the month, pull out the notes and talk about the memories over pizza.
• Written Notes for the Overlooked: Have the kids make valentines for special people in your life. Make sure to include those who may be overlooked like a widow or widower who are celebrating their first valentine’s day without their spouse.
• Show love to others: Play a simple game like love bingo. Write a characteristic of love into each block. Then explain the way God loves us and expects to treat them with dignity. The author of this comment went on to say that they bought a pizza and drink for a homeless person, and their daughter write, “God loves you!” on the box.
Also, don’t forget about the love of God and the fact he loves you unconditionally,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 (NIV)
Click HERE for Practical Activities to Do with Kids for Valentines Day from Focus on the Family.com
Need Ideas for an Alternative Valentine’s Day Date?
We all know that most couples go to their favorite restaurant, the movies, or some type of show to celebrate their love for each other.
That does not mean you can’t do something different and think outside the box.
On the Morning Thing this week, we gave you quite a few Valentine’s Day date ideas including:
• Go back to the place where you met.
• Play hooky and spend the day together without the kids.
• Channel your inner Picasso and work on a painting project together.
• Be “tourists in love” and stay at a hotel in your town.
• Pull out your wedding videos or photos and talk about the memories. Then play your song and enjoy a slow dance.
Don’t forget,
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,”
Romans 15:5 (NIV)
Click HERE for the complete list of Valentine’s Day date ideas from imom.com
Rise and Shine 