We think of Mondays as a fresh start to the week.
It’s 1/11/16, there is still time for you to get a fresh, healthy start to the NEW Year!

Today, The Morning Thing shared information about 6 sixty second health tests that you can do at home. Click HERE to find out how to take the tests. An important note –  a positive result is just an indicator of a symptom and doesn’t necessarily mean you are sick. Please seek a doctor’s advice on your medical condition.

We also shared information about a January cleanse. There are several food groups that you should cut out this month to get you started on a healthier path for 2016. Click HERE for more information.

With WinterJam making its first stop in Ohio tomorrow, we decided that for the Fave 5 we would share our favorite songs from the WinterJam artists. Talk about challenging… Seriously, picking only one song from ForKing&Country and Matthew West? Next to impossible. But we did it and you can check out the videos for all of these songs.

1. For King and Country, “Fix My Eyes.”

2. Matthew West, “Grace Wins.”

Crowder, “I Am.”

Sidewalk Prophets, “Prodigal.”

Lauren Daigle, “How Can it Be.”

There were so many songs for all of the artists, that we recommend checking out all of their YouTube channels to hear more. And enjoy WinterJam 2016!

Today, The Morning Thing talked about the most important meal of the day – breakfast!
All this week, we have been talking about the new year and getting a fresh start for our lives.
Today, we shared a list of the 20 best foods to eat for breakfast. It is the MOST important meal of the day, so let’s find out how to give our bodies the best start for the day.
Click HERE to see what to put on your plate for breakfast.

Make sure to make The Morning Thing a part of your daily routine.
Every weekday from 6am – 9am, WNZR brings you great music, news, sports, weather and inspiration for a great start to your day! Click HERE for more information about The Morning Thing.

Today is January 6th, the official date of the Christian Holiday of Epiphany. Compared to its older brother Christmas though, Epiphany tends to get overlooked. It’s an important day though. It wraps up the Christmas season, welcomes in the Carnival season (that sounds fun, right?), and it commemorates to very important points in Jesus’ life: The visit of the Wise Men and His Baptism.

As we shared on the show today, while Christmas and Easter represent the two major events of Christ’s life that have an impact on us as Christians it is still important that we don’t forget the ones in between His Birth and Death. That’s why we encourage you to check out the information here that we talked about this morning to learn all about Epiphany. And maybe you and I could even read the stories of the Magi’s visit and Jesus’ Baptism to remind us of their importance and see what God would share with us through those portions of the Bible.

And since it is Epiphany that means it is time to talk about a subject that is approached with mixed feelings…. Taking down the Christmas decorations.

Maybe you just breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed, “Finally!” with a single tear of joy running down your face. Or maybe they were tears of sorrow accompanied by a cry of “No! Do we have to?” Whichever camp you are in, it’s a discussion worth having. Contrary to what my girlfriend would wish to believe, you can’t have the Christmas tree and lights up year round. So we have a couple of guides for you. One based on superstition, one based on religious observance, and one based on organization.

Whichever decoration camp you are in we hope that you had a fantastic Christmas and that as the year you are ushering in by taking down those decorations will be a great one! Happy New Year!

2016 is here! For some, this is an exciting time with expectations for new adventures and experiences. For others, the new year brings along challenges and uncertainty.

We hope that you will make a resolution to dig into scripture for 2016.
Click HERE for a list of bible verses that will provide you encouragement for the new year.

Today, we also shared a 7 minute routine that can radically change your work life. Click HERE to find out how focusing your mind can help you be more effective at the office and at home.

A new year is a time to make resolutions and goals for a fresh start.
The Morning Thing shared some encouraging ideas on how to start the year off right.

Click HERE to see 5 ideas for your new year. It is NEVER too late to start something new for a fresh start to your day.

We hope that you will make The Morning Thing a part of your daily routine for 2016.
We give you a great way to start your day. Click HERE to find out more about our show!

This morning, The Morning Thing welcomed the new year by counting down the top 30 songs of 2015 at WNZR. Here is the list.

Thanks for sharing this past year with us at The Lifeline. We pray that 2016 is a year full of adventure, blessings and love. God BLESS YOU!

WNZR’s Top 30 Songs of 2015

1. SHOULDERS
for KING & COUNTRY
Fervent/Word-Curb

2. FLAWLESS
MercyMe
Fair Trade

3. SOUL ON FIRE
Third Day
Essential/PLG

4. BECAUSE HE LIVES (AMEN)
Matt Maher
Essential/PLG

5. HOLY SPIRIT
Francesca Battistelli
Fervent/Word-Curb

6. DROPS IN THE OCEAN
Hawk Nelson
Fair Trade

7. HE KNOWS
Jeremy Camp
Stolen Pride/Sparrow/Capitol CMG

8. OVERWHELMED
Big Daddy Weave
Fervent/Word-Curb

9. GREATER
MercyMe
Fair Trade

10. JESUS LOVES ME
Chris Tomlin
sixsteps/Sparrow/Capitol CMG

11. HE KNOWS MY NAME
Francesca Battistelli
Fervent/Word-Curb

12. TOUCH THE SKY
Hillsong UNITED
Hillsong/Sparrow/Capitol CMG

13. AT THE CROSS (LOVE RAN RED)
Chris Tomlin
sixsteps/Sparrow/Capitol CMG

14. EVEN SO COME
Passion Featuring Kristian Stanfill
sixsteps/Sparrow/Capitol CMG

15. THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW
Josh Wilson
Sparrow/Capitol CMG

16. BROTHER
NEEDTOBREATHE Featuring Gavin DeGraw
Atlantic/Word-Curb

17. COME AS YOU ARE
Crowder
sixsteps/Sparrow/Capitol CMG

18. DAY ONE
Matthew West
Sparrow/Capitol CMG

19. MORE THAN YOU THINK I AM
Danny Gokey
BMG

20. BEYOND ME
tobyMac
ForeFront/Capitol CMG

21. FIRST
Lauren Daigle
Centricity

22. IMPOSSIBLE
Building 429
Essential/PLG

23. THROUGH ALL OF IT
Colton Dixon
19/Sparrow/Capitol CMG

24. LORD I’M READY NOW
Plumb
Curb

25. FEEL IT
tobyMac Featuring Mr. Talkbox
ForeFront/Capitol CMG

26. WHO I AM
Blanca
Word-Curb

27. GOOD FIGHT
Unspoken
Centricity

28. CAST MY CARES
Finding Favour
Gotee

29. EXHALE
Plumb
Curb

30. PRODIGAL
Sidewalk Prophets
Word-Curb

Today we wrapped up our WinterJam week by talking to the headliner, for King and Country!

Joel Smallbone, one of the brothers who founded the band, gave us  an inside look at the band’s approach to designing and planning their shows. Plus, Joel tells us why he is willing to risk his life at each performance by climbing ladders and jumping off the highest piece of equipment. For King and Country  is also making a movie and Joel tells us all about it!

If you missed our conversation with Joel you can listen to it HERE!

Its the last day of 2015…. HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!!!

To help you bring in the new year in style, we found a couple recipes that are sure to be a hit a your holiday get-together! Check out the following links for the complete recipes!

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Salted Caramel Brownies

Tomorrow, join WNZR to bring in the new year by looking back at some of the best songs from this year. Jenna and Wesley will share WNZR’s Top 30 Songs of 2015.

Today we continued our conversations with the artists traveling on the spectacular WinterJam 2016 tour! After hearing from Michael Cleveland of Stars Go Dim on Monday, Matt Butler of Newsong and Lauren Daigle on Tuesday, we talked to Crowder and Matthew West during today’s show!

Crowder talked about his debut album as a solo artist, Neon Steeple, and what we can expect to see from him this year. David Crowder also shared his excitement and expectations for the 2016 WinterJam tour! To hear our whole conversation, click HERE!

Matthew West shared some of his family’s Christmas traditions. He also gave us some insight into his newest album Grace Wins and the uplifting song that titled the album. Plus, don’t miss Matthew’s perspective of WinterJam 2016, HERE!

Crowder

Matthew West

From Crowder’s front porch jam sessions to Matthew West’s upbeat and inspirational music WinterJam 2016 is going to be a year to remember! For more information you can check out their official website, 2016.jamtour.com.

You will definitely want to tune in for tomorrow’s show as we feature the headliner for this year’s tour, for King and Country! We will share our conversation with Joel Smallbone one of the brothers who started the band.

Where can you see ten of the top
Christian artists for just $10? WINTER JAM 2016! And, its only a couple weeks away!

January 9th – at the Shottenstein Center in Columbus
February 19th – the the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati
February 21st – at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland

Featuring artists such as for King and Country, Matthew West, Crowder, Lauren Daigle, Newsong, Stars Go Dim, Sidewalk Prophets and more, the line up is unbelievable! For more information on the cross-country tour check  out their website, 2016.jamtour.com.

On The Morning Thing today we had the opportunity to talk with Matt Butler from the band Newsong. He told us the story of why Newsong began WinterJam 20 years ago and what we can expect to see this year for Winter Jam 2016! If you missed our conversation you can check it out HERE!

Plus, we also talked with Dove Award winning New Artist of the Year, Lauren Daigle, about traveling with the tour. She also talked about her experience winning three Dove Awards this year. To hear our whole conversation click HERE!

Newsong

Lauren Daigle

Tune in to tomorrow’s show from 6am to 9am to hear from Crowder and Matthew West as they share their expectations for WinterJam 2016!