Tenth Avenue North is bringing the “All The Earth is Holy Ground” tour to Mansfield Christian School TONIGHT (10/9) at 7:00PM. Dan Bremnes will join Tenth Avenue North on this tour. Mansfield Christian School is located at 500 Logan Road in Mansfield. You can get tickets by calling 800-965-9324 or online on http://www.itickets.com

Today, The Morning Thing team shared our 5 favorite Tenth Avenue North songs (in honor of tonight’s concert).
Aubrey Bailey loves the song “Healing Begins”. Click HERE to hear Aubrey talk about the song.
Jenna Potts loves the song “No Man is an Island”. Click HERE to hear Jenna talk about the song.
Wesley Boston loves the song “Losing”. Click HERE to hear Wesley talk about the song.
Marcy Rinehart can really relate to the song “Worn”. Click HERE to hear Marcy talk about how this song has impacted her life.
And since we only have 4 co-hosts and this is the Fave FIVE, here is a bonus song for our list – “Stars in the Night”. Click HERE to hear lead singer, Mike Donehey, share the story behind this song.

We also debuted 3 NEW songs today!
“Lift Your Head Weary Sinner” from Crowder. Click HERE to hear the story behind the song.
Natalie Grant’s new song is “Be One”. Click HERE to hear Natalie talk about the powerful message in this song.
The Newsboys have a new song called “Guilty”. This song is the premise for a life-changing movie that will release in theaters on April 1, 2016. Click HERE to hear more about “Guilty” and “God’s Not Dead 2”.

Today was a packed show – full of winners, great music, 3 NEW song debuts and great information on fire prevention and Starting Point.

We announced 5 winning pastors for Clergy Appreciation Month.
Congratulations to these pastors! They each win a $20 gift certificate to the Southside Diner plus the Kyle Idleman book “Aha – The God Moment That Changes Everything”.
Congratulations to:
Pastor Roger Tickle from Grace Community Church in Mount Vernon.
Ciera Woods nominated Roger. Here is what Ciera told us about Pastor Tickle.
I love Pastor Roger because he is one of us. He doesn’t put himself higher than the rest of the leadership team, or our congregation. He is a human who makes mistakes, lives life and trys his best to be God’s hands and feet. He has a very kind heart towards others, always putting their needs before his. He is hard working and is very very loved by our church. 

Pastor Tim Overly from Covenant Christian Church of God in Mount Vernon. Angi Davidson nominated Tim. Here is what Angi told us about Pastor Overly.
If I was to use just one word to describe him, it would be LOVE. If you have already met this Pastor, I’m sure you will agree with me. He strives to serve others, and has a goal to connect people to Christ. You won’t just find him behind the pulpit..he may be in our food pantry serving, on our public square praying, in the ditches mowing, or even in his office holding the hand of a parishioner who just lost a loved one. He will stop at nothing to share God’s love with others, and I’m proud that he’s my Pastor, My Friend, My Brother.

Pastor Warren Outhwaite from Mulberry Street United Methodist Church in Mount Vernon.
Samantha Blanton nominated Warren. Here is what Samantha told us about Pastor Outhwaite.
I love my pastor because it is because of both him and God that I am majoring in Pastoral Ministry to be a full time minister.

Pastor Chuck Hagey from Journey Church of Howard. 
Todd Stephens and Danielle Pantalone nominated Chuck. Here is what Todd told us about Pastor Hagey. He represents Christ well and makes you desire to be closer to God.
Here is what Danielle told us about Pastor Hagey. I just moved back from Nevada and went to the church my brothers attended. He has a true heart for God and is very sincere.

Pastor Richard Hite from the Church on the Rise in Mount Vernon.
We had several nominations for Pastor Hite.
Sierra Stimens told us that she loves Pastor Hite. I love my pastor because he is a great preacher and teacher. Also, he is so wise and teaches us teens in a way that we truly live out our faith loudly and he has taught us to be bold in school and not be ashamed of the gospel. He loves the Lord and shows it in so many ways. All the youth love him and can’t wait for church each week.
Tysha Hoskins told us that Pastor Hite truly is a man that seeks after the Lord, in everything that he does. He does nothing without first seeking scriptures and prayer. He truly is a man that stands behind EVERY word of the bible, he truly is a living sermon. I know that a lot of people in the church never get to see all that he does for others or even know the sacrifices he and his whole family make for the church, but we know that he is a genuine man of his word. One day of appreciation is not enough, nor is this little writing adequate, but these words are heartfelt signs of mine and the congregations’ gratitude for his service
Richard’s wife Jeanne Hite had some wonderful comments about her husband.
Well, #1, I love him because he is my husband and we have been married for around 40 years. He was called into the ministry in 1998 and has been serving the Lord since he was around 20 years old. He is a dynamic preacher with a heart for God. He has been given a vision to help stamp out hunger in the community and works hard to keep a very thriving food pantry alive. He also reaches out to so many wherever he goes to try to reach others for Christ. Many people who were unchurched have found a home in our church and have joined us in helping to reach out to those who are homebound, in nursing homes, jails, prisons, wherever the Lord tells him to go. He just retired early this year and is now able to devote 100% to the ministry. He loves the community and loves helping others. Even though he struggles physically with diabetes contracted from Agent Orange in Vietnam, he still works tirelessly to serve others.

Congratulations to these pastors. Nominate YOUR pastor today by clicking HERE.
Remember that all nominated pastors will be entered into a grand prize drawing for an overnight stay at the Mount Vernon Grand Hotel.

We wrapped up our week-long focus on Starting Point today.
We shared a conversation with Sheri Tharp about her position as an RUC (Relationships Under Construction) Coordinator. Click HERE to hear the conversation about how educating teens on healthy relationships is vital to the ministry of Starting Point.

We also shared some eye-opening fast facts for Fire Prevention Day.
Click HERE to find out how important it is to have an escape plan and working smoke detectors for your house and family.

The Morning Thing shared an update on Operation Christmas Child.

• OCC has just solidified their collection network of 554 drop-off locations throughout the four-state Great Lakes region that includes Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.
• You can find the drop-off location nearest you by searching your zip code at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/.
• These drop-off locations are the start of a journey that reaches to the ends of the earth, sharing God’s love to children in need in over 100 countries.
• Operation Christmas Child speaker events and rallies are happening in your area! Check out the events page at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/local-events-and-offices/ .
• For many, an Operation Christmas Child shoebox may be the first gift a child has ever received.
• We encourage our shoebox packers to think about the experience a child has when opening the box and pack a “WOW!” item, like a soccer ball (with a pump) or a doll for girls.
• Operation Christmas Child is hoping to reach over 11 million children this upcoming season, with 925,000 shoebox gifts coming from the Great Lakes region.
• OCC is bringing Good News and Great Joy to the children of the world!

This morning, we shared the story of Timur Nesbitt. Click HERE to hear how a shoebox changed his life!
Join WNZR in support of this wonderful ministry. Start packing a shoebox now and stay tuned to WNZR for more information on the National Collection in November.

We are focusing on Starting Point this week on The Morning Thing. 
Today, we talked with Diana Wetzel, Client Services Director, for Starting Point of Knox County.
We talked about her involvement with the ministry, the 3 Ps of Starting Point, the vision and efforts being made to educate clients.
Click HERE to hear the conversation.

You can support Starting Point by being part of their fundraising walk this Saturday.
Click HERE for more information.
If you would like to support the WNZR Team, call 740-392-9090 now and make a pledge. Help us reach our $1,000 fundraising goal.

We had the opportunity to talk with Kassandra Baker of Starting Point this morning. She told us all about their upcoming Walk. It’s this Saturday, October 10 at 9:30 at the Starting Point Office- 11 Woodlake Trail in Mount Vernon. You can hear our entire conversation with Kassandra HERE. For more information check out knoxstartingpoint.com.

We also gave away tickets to the Beating Hearts Tour! Mandisa, Newsong, and Danny Gokey are coming to Zanesville this Thursday. Congrats to Haley on winning this morning’s round of “Song Poetry!” For more information about the tour, you can go here.

That wasn’t the only ticket prize we gave away. We also gave away tickets to see Tenth Avenue North in Mansfield. Congrats to our winner Andrew! You can get more information on the show and our giveaway here.

And don’t forget to sign up your pastor for Clergy Appreciation Month! You can enter them to win not only a gift certificate to a local restaurant, but also a one-night stay at the Mount Vernon Grand Hotel!

The Morning Thing kicked off several things today.

#1 – Clergy Appreciation Month.

October is Clergy Appreciation Month. WNZR helps you honor your pastor!

Each Friday (starting October 9^th), 5 local pastors will be honored on The Morning Thing (at approximately 7:30am). Our morning show hosts will share their names and churches along with comments from their church family. (5 entries will be drawn at random).

Each pastor that is mentioned will receive a $20.00 gift certificate to a local restaurant to enjoy a dinner out with family. Each pastor will ALSO receive the Kyle Idleman book “Aha – The God Moment That Changes Everything”.

Call (740) 392-9090 now and tell us why you love your pastor. Or go HERE to submit the online form.

Thanks to these restaurants for donating gift certificates for our pastor dinners:
The Southside Diner (week #1 – Friday 10/9)
The Alcove Restaurant (week #2 – 10/16)
Allison’s Finer Diner (week #3 – 10/23)
and Jake’s Restaurant of Mount Vernon (week #4 – Friday 10/30)

We will draw a GRAND PRIZE for Clergy Appreciation Month this year! All pastors will be entered into a drawing for an overnight stay at the Mount Vernon Grand Hotel.

Thanks to City on a Hill Productions for their donation of the Kyle Idleman books and thanks to the Mount Vernon Grand Hotel for their grand prize donation!

#2 Starting Point Week
We’ll talk about the ministry Starting Point all this week. We’ll share conversations with staff members and volunteers.
We are also sharing information about Starting Point’s Walk, which is coming this Saturday, October 10^th!
Join the WNZR team and support Starting Point’s outreach to women and men facing unplanned pregnancies.
Click HERE to find out more about Starting Point’s WALK.
If you can’t walk on that day, pledge your support to WNZR’s team. Call 740-392-9090 and ask for Marcy. Your pledge will help us reach a goal of $1,000 dollars for our team!
Or email wnzr@mvnu.edu, tell us your name, address, phone number and the amount you want to pledge for WNZR’s Team! Our WNZR Team includes: Marcy Rinehart and Jenna Potts from The Morning Thing, Jessica Wells from The Afternoon Drive, WNZR Graphic Designer Megan Vernon and WNZR Sports Director Josh Pope!

Today, we talked with Brooke Gillen, Starting Point’s Administrative Assistant. Click HERE to hear the inspiring conversation.

#3 Concert Ticket Giveaways!
The Morning Thing is giving away concert tickets ALL WEEK LONG!

Click HERE to find out more about The Beating Hearts Tour with Newsong, Mandisa and Danny Gokey. The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive are playing Song Poetry all this week. Tune in for your chance to win. We’ll share some song lyrics. If you can be the first person to correctly guess the artist and the song title, you win 2 tickets to the concert!

Click HERE to find out more about the “All The Earth is Holy Ground” tour with Tenth Avenue North and Dan Bremnes. The Morning Thing and The Afternoon Drive have a special cue for you to call. Listen for the band members of Tenth Avenue North to sing/rap the last part of our birthday song. The part that says, “we pray that God will bless you, today and all year long”. When you hear them rapping, call 740-392-9090. Caller #4 wins 2 tickets to the concert!

BIG NEWS for Mount Vernon Nazarene University students. Mansfield Christian High School is offering a discount code on http://www.itickets.com for MVNU students! Tickets are 1/2 Price ($7.50). The discount code for MVNU students is: MVNU.

How was your week? Busy? Stressful? Loooong?
Well, it’s time to PRAISE the Lord, because it is Friday! (PTLIF)

Did you know that you could win concert tickets by listening to The Morning Thing?
Would you like to see Newsong? Mandisa? Danny Gokey?
GOOD news! We have more tickets to give away next week.
Listen for Song Poetry and you can win tickets to the “Beating Hearts” tour. For song poetry, we read some song lyrics to you. You have to be the first person to correctly name the artist and the song title. Click HERE for more details about the concert.

Would you like to see Tenth Avenue North? Dan Bremnes?
The “All The Earth is Holy Ground” tour is coming to Mansfield Christian School on Friday, October 9^th at 7:00PM.
What do you need to do to win tickets? Listen for a special cue to call 740-392-9090. When you hear the guys from Tenth Avenue North singing “We pray that God will bless you today and all year long” (a portion of our birthday song), CALL! The 4th caller wins 2 tickets.
The guys are rapping, not really singing. 🙂
Click HERE for more details about the concert.

Today on the show, we shared the October Presidential Update with MVNU President, Dr. Henry Spaulding. Click HERE to hear the conversation. Dr. Spaulding talks about the new MVNU brand “Shine Forth”, the Mount Vernon Grand Hotel construction and his thoughts on the start of the school year.

Our Morning Thing Fave 5 focused on DOGS, in honor of our annual DOG-toberfest Parade (which will happen tonight in downtown Mount Vernon).
1. Jenna Potts
2. Aubrey Bailey
3. Wesley Boston
4. Marcy Rinehart
5. Joe Rinehart (from the Afternoon Drive, making a guest appearance on our Fave 5)

Marcy Rinehart and Jenna Potts of The Morning Thing declared that today (10/1) is PUMPKIN DAY!

Here are some wonderful recipes using pumpkin and wonderful tips on how to keep your carved pumpkin looking nice.

Click HERE for the recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles.

Click HERE for the recipe for homemade pumpkin spice coffee creamer. You can make your beloved pumpkin spice lattes at home!

Are you getting hungry?
Click HERE for the recipe for Pumpkin Pie French Toast.

Here are some wonderful tips to use when carving your pumpkin. Click HERE to find out how to make your carving easier and how to keep your pumpkin looking nice.

Don’t throw away the pumpkin seeds. Click HERE for 3 different recipes on how to cook this wonderful treat.

ENJOY something made of pumpkin today!

We also shared a conversation with Dr. Paul Dove today. He told us about the annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast coming up on Saturday 10/3. Click HERE to hear about this wonderful event.

There is a new movie coming to theaters on Friday, 10/16. WOODLAWN is more than a movie. We truly believe it is a movement – one that points to the one hope, one truth and one way to heal our nation.
Click HERE to see the movie trailer.
Click HERE to watch a special video about this new film.

Procrastination. For some of us there is nothing sweeter than the bliss of relaxing while calming saying, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Except perhaps for the sense of relief that comes after finishing a frenzied nightmare of last-minute-panic-induced work. The fact is, it can be way too easy to procrastinate. Trust me, I know. While you may still get things done this way, it is not the bast plan of attack. That’s why we took a look this morning at ways to stop procrastinating right now. Not tomorrow, not this afternoon, now. You can check out the complete list here.

We also shared some tips on how to get started with prayer when you might not be sure what to pray for. You can check out all the tips that we shared right here.

And don’t forget to come to DOG-TOBERFEST this Friday! You can find all the info on our website.

What to do when you feel overwhelmed by what happens in our world?
Click HERE to read an insightful article on how to respond to bad news. The bible has a lot to say about how to face these feelings of fear and doubt.

We also shared some alarming news about how texting is affecting our posture. Click HERE to see if you need to change your texting habits. The diagrams are revealing of this problem.