I had the pleasure of talking with an alum of MVNU and soon to be missionary Christy Gray. Christy will be visiting 11 countries in 11 months with the World Race. Click HERE to listen to the full conversation. Christy taught at the local schools and left for training on Saturday, June 2. Please keep her in your prayers as she embarks on this journey. To stay connected with her on her adventures, check out her blog HERE. Click HERE for more information on the World Race. As always, thanks for listening!
-Daria
Dr. Henry Spaulding shared news from Mount Vernon Nazarene University with WNZR today.
His June MVNU Update included his reflections on the past school year, updates on construction projects and what is happening on campus this month.
Click HERE to hear Dr. Spaulding’s conversation with WNZR’s Daria Swisher.
WNZR’s Daria Swisher talked with Carrie Hyman about June First Friday. Carrie is the Executive Director of Main Street Mount Vernon.
Click HERE to hear their conversation.
Look for Big Blue on South Main Street near the Grand Hotel down from the square! Stop by and register to win a special “Shape Up, Clean Up, Drink Up and Dress Up” prize basket featuring:
Plus WNZR goodies including an “On the Road with Big Blue” T-shirt, NIV Bible, coasters, cups, keychains, jar openers Frisbee, guitar flyswatter, magnets and more! The prize package is valued at over $230!
First Friday events are from 6 to 9 p.m. in downtown Mount Vernon. Main Street Mount Vernon will kick off the year with June First Friday’s “Summer Celebration.” There will be Kids’ Entertainment and family-friendly activities on the Public Square with the Mount Vernon YMCA, Sting Soccer, MTVarts and Knox County 4-H. You won’t want to miss the petting zoo by Hobby Horse Hill or face painting by Mount Vernon’s First Church of the Nazarene!
Click HERE to see a complete list of activities.
Please click here to check out the finalized map for June First Friday. If you have questions, please contact Carrie, director@mainstreetmountvernon.com. See you tonight!
It is finally here – National Donut Day! Yipee!
For our Morning Thing Fave 5, we decided to highlight 5 really crazy donuts that can be found here in the United States. Let us know if you have tried any of these recipes.
This morning, Daria and Jenna celebrated National Smile Day, the day everyone is encouraged to wear their best smile and spread joy!
Smiles are powerful! They not only create engagement between two people but the more a person smiles, the healthier their brain can be! Smiling has a direct link to our brain and can help to reduce stress. In honor of National Smile Day, we dug into an article about how you can spread job at work!
To read the complete article, click HERE!
1. Punch in with a smile.
Be intentional to smile as you “clock in.” Look forward to the day (or night) that’s ahead of you. Embrace the joy of your job. Even on the days when you’d rather be somewhere else, be thankful for your work.
2. See the blessing in your work.
Believe you are making a difference in what you do, because you are. Even on the days it may not seem like it. You are making a difference in more ways than you think. Your work matters.
3. See the good in your co-workers.
Your co-workers have been placed in your life for a reason. Encourage them. Bless them. Make their days more pleasant by being in their lives. Make a positive impact.
4. Make it more than your job description.
Find one way every day to go above and beyond your job description. Go the “extra mile.” Even if that extra mile is something no one else sees. Joy is a by-product of doing more than “what’s expected.”
5. Do something special for someone.
Go out of your way to do something to bless another. Something unpredictable. Be the reason someone else smiles today. Help another succeed. Not only will it build up the receiver, it’ll also bring a smile to your face too.
6. Take a few minutes to breathe deep.
Stop and take a few deep breaths throughout the day. Short pauses help you keep a positive attitude and extend that out to everyone you come in contact with.
7. End the work day grateful.
As you close down your work day, consciously recall the high points, the moments that made you smile, the things that went well. Be thankful for them. Forget about the things that weren’t so pleasant, and do what you can to not take your work home with you. End your day on a positive note.
We would love to hear from you! What do you do to spread joy at work?
Ariel Arena at Mount Vernon Nazarene University will be a busy place this summer as many camps and clinics are scheduled with our athletic teams.
WNZR’s Joe Rinehart talked with Head Basketball Coach, Jared Ronai about the upcoming events for our MVNU basketball team.
Click HERE to hear their conversation.
Click HERE for more information about MVNU Sports Camps and how to register.
The last Wednesday in May is Senior Health & Fitness Day. Today, approximately 100,000 senior adults will participate in activities across the United States to celebrate National Senior Health & Fitness Day.
What will you do for your health and fitness today?
Too busy to exercise? Well, we found 6 tips on How to Fit Exercise into Your Routine—No Matter How Busy You Are! Check out the full article from greatist.com HERE.
Pick a workout form that you can do almost anywhere, whether you’re traveling or getting home from the office late.
Choose a form of exercise that fits your lifestyle, personality, and taste. Not sure what you love to do? Don’t be afraid to experiment with different forms of exercise until you find what works best for you.
Today, it’s possible to find a competition suitable to your skill level in almost any sport. Sign up, set a goal, and notice what it does to you—odds are good it might be the push you need to keep yourself in the game.
The truth is that when we really need to, we get out of the office at the time that is necessary. Make a schedule (write it down if it helps!), stick to it, and remind yourself that working out is a priority worth keeping.
Make a note in your calendar every time you work out, and add up your workout sessions at the end of each week, month, and year so you can monitor your progress and identify areas for improvement. Measuring your activity levels (and ideally keeping notes on your progress) can help you to stay on track and realize when you’re slipping before you’ve completely lost the habit.
You don’t need an hour—or even 30 minutes—to get a complete, effective workout. And some exercises is virtually always better than none. We can always find a few free minutes in our day (yes, we can!). With an effective program, and done frequently enough, short and speedy workouts can do wonders to both the body and mind.
Do you still need some encouragement to get moving today?
Check out this list of 7 Ways to Get Fit Having Fun (from webmd.com)
Click HERE to see the full list.
2. Put on your dancing shoes. Not the sporty type? Dancing is a great way to get fit, and there’s a type to appeal to everyone: ballroom, country and western, salsa, African, folk dancing, square dancing. You don’t even need a partner; try belly dancing, hula, clogging or tap dancing.
5. Spice up a dull routine. Tired of your routine walk around the track? Walk to the park instead, and fly a kite. If you’re bored with the treadmill or elliptical trainer, spice up your workout with multimedia. Clip a tape or CD player to your belt, get audio books from the library, and enjoy “reading” while you work out. Or set up a portable DVD player and watch a movie.
6. Try something new. Go horseback riding. Try inline skating. Join in a community trash pickup. Build houses for Habitat for Humanity.
7. If you love a challenge and want to see real results, sign up for a civilian boot camp.
Remember to take WNZR along on your workout. Listen to us at 90.9FM or online at www.wnzr.fm
Today, The Morning Thing talked about family! We talked about the greatest family there is—God’s family and how you fit into that picture!
We shared some wonderful insight from Focus on the Family. Click HERE to read the full article – Coming Home: An Invitation to Join God’s Family.
Reminder – you can hear Focus on the Family each weekday at 9:30am and 6:30pm on WNZR.
(from Focus on the Family)
A person who has faith in Jesus is a Christian. And a Christian is simply an individual who has felt the need to come home. You can come home, too, if you’re ready to make that commitment. You can become a Christ follower right now simply by opening the door to Jesus and trusting Him as Lord and Savior. It’s so easy a child can do it. But it’s also hard because we first have to realize that we cannot do it on our own.
Once you’ve counted the cost and decided that you’re ready to give your heart to Jesus, you can do so by following these three simple steps:
Admit you’re a helpless sinner (a person who has chosen his own way rather than God’s) and that you can’t come home without God’s gracious help. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Believe that Jesus Christ has come to be your Savior — in other words, that He died on the cross for your sins and wants to take you home to be part of God’s family. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “As many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1: 12).
Receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and ask Him to come into your heart. Turn from self to God (repentance) and trust Christ to come into your life and make you the kind of person He wants you to be. You can receive Jesus by faith through prayer, as an act of the will. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart; but if you honestly don’t know what to say, you might try praying a simple prayer such as this:
Lord Jesus Christ, I need You. I agree that I am a sinner and have sinned in my thinking and speaking and acting. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I have counted the cost of following You. I repent and turn away from my past sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. Amen.
If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, pray it right now, and Christ will come into your life, just as He promised:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).
The Bible uses two terms to describe what happens when people say yes to God and join His family. The first is rebirth. New Christians become part of God’s family in the same way they became part of their earthly parents’ family – they’re born into it. God is their Father, and they are His children (see John 3:3-8).
The other term used to describe this relationship is adoption. Christians are adopted into God’s family and given all the inheritance rights of God’s Son. Because Jesus rose from the dead, those who trust in Him will also rise again. Because they are now officially part of God’s family, they can feel completely secure. Their Father will not disown them or rewrite His will. He has promised to be faithful to His children, and God always keeps His promises.
As children of God, Christians can have power — power to follow Jesus even when the way is hard, power to make Jesus known to others, power to love and to serve. They also have hope, confidence, and freedom from fear. They know that death can never ruin their plans or destroy their relationships.
People begin life in God’s family just as they began it in their parents’ family — as babies. Baby Christians need to be nurtured, protected, taught and loved. Here are a few suggestions that will help you get the care and guidance you need as you begin to grow in your faith:
Tell a friend. Do you know someone who might get excited about the decision you’ve made — a pastor, maybe, or Christian friend? Tell him or her. Share the joy of your new commitment with someone else!
Read the Bible. Baby Christians need rich nourishment, and no source is better than God’s Word. The Bible is God’s message to mankind, so it’s vital for young believers to know what it says. You can get started by looking up and reading the verses listed in this article. After that, we’d suggest that you make a habit of reading a chapter a day, beginning with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — they’ll help you get better acquainted with Jesus). Next you could take a look at Paul’s letter to the Philippians and the letters of James and I John. To understand more about how Jesus’ death means life for you, read Paul’s letter to the Romans. If you have questions, a pastor or Christian friend will be able to help you in your Bible study. If you don’t have a Bible, please contact us and we’ll be happy to send you one.
Talk to God regularly. Make prayer a daily habit. This means talking to God about anything, at any time of the day or night. It can also mean spending a special “quiet” time with Him where you meditate on His Word, tell Him of your love and devotion, and talk to Him about others and their needs.
Get involved in a church. When you open the door to Christ and come home to God, you acquire a new set of spiritual brothers and sisters. God has many other children on the earth, and it’s important that they meet together regularly as a family. That’s what church is all about. The church is the best place for infant Christians to find the support they need to grow strong. Churches are where God’s people gather to worship, learn from the Bible, encourage each other and welcome new believers into God’s family. Find a church near you that does these things, and get involved. Your church should believe that the Bible is the accurate Word of God, that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, that He is fully God and man, and
that only through faith in Jesus Christ can a person have eternal life.
You will still have many questions as you begin your new life with God and His family of believers, but you’ve already taken the most important step toward getting them resolved – you’ve met the One who has all the answers. Meanwhile, we hope you’ll feel free to call and discuss any concerns you may have with a member of the Focus team. Our staff
chaplains would consider it a privilege to speak with you over the phone. You can contact them Monday through Friday between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Mountain Time at 855-771-HELP (4357). They’ll be happy to assist you in any way they can.
Homecoming can be a joyous time, even if the pumpkin pie crust is soggy and Uncle Joe has forgotten his table manners. But no earthly homecoming, no matter how memorable, can compare with the joy of coming home to God.
God’s love, after all, is the source of all earthly love. It’s stronger and more enduring than love between husband and wife, parent and child, brothers and sisters. At the same time, God’s love strengthens our human ties and increases our love for those dear to us.
We’ve tried to explain why people need God’s love. We’ve told you how to respond to His invitation and become part of His family. But there’s one thing we can’t do for you – we can’t say yes to God on your behalf.
If your heart is restless; if you find yourself longing for a home you’ve never known; if you would like eternal life with Jesus that begins now and continues in heaven where there is no suffering, sin, or death — say yes to Jesus. Join the family. Come home.
There’s no better time than now.
Rise and Shine 