What Holds You Back From Spiritual Discipline?

Spiritual disciplines like prayer, reading your Bible, fasting, and supporting and going to church are great ways to further your relationship with Jesus. Unfortunately, many things may get in the way of practicing them regularly. Understanding what those barriers are in your life can help you knock them down and improve your walk with Christ.

Click HERE for the top 10 reasons you struggle with spiritual disciplines on ibelieve.com

If you’re looking for a great church around Mount Vernon, click HERE to check out our Church Listings page on wnzr.fm

New Years Resolutions for Christians!

Here are some resolutions for the new year that are not too over the top and that will help you grow in your faith in 2022. Thank you to Equipping Godly Women for this amazing article!

Here are just some of the ways…

  • Read Your Bible 20 Minutes a Day, Every Day
  • Go to Church Every Week Without Fail
  • Set Aside 15 Minutes Each Day to Pray
  • Join a Bible Study

Click HERE to read all of the ways you can grow with Christ in 2022!!

Everyone Struggles with Temptation

It may not be an easy thing to talk about, but temptation is all around us. Whether its overeating, overspending, or lying we all struggle. It is easier to avoid temptation all together than having to resist it in the moment. Thanks to allprodad.com we talked about 4 Ways to Avoid Temptation.

  1. Focus on knowing yourself
  2. Focus on staying busy
  3. Focus on being in community
  4. Focus on your family

To read the full article click HERE.

We also shared the biblical side of temptation with theholymess.com We shared 21 Powerful Bible Verses about Temptation. Here are some of our favorites…

  • “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” -1 Corinthians 10:13
  • “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” – James 1:12
  • “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” – Ephesians 6:13

To read all 21 verses click right HERE.

Stress Awareness Day

We all get stressed every now and then but most of the time it’s because we are not focusing on what is important, Jesus. When we focus on Jesus our stress won’t magically go away but we can remember that we don’t have to go through it alone. This morning we talked about “Seven Ways to Keep Your Focus on Jesus” from All Things Life. To read the full article click HERE.

Here are some of the ways we talked about…

  • Set aside alone time with Him each day.
  • Worship Music
  • Post It Notes
  • Add Scriptures to Your Phone

We also talked about 20 Calming Bible Verses for Worry, Stress, and Anxiety. This article is from Homemade Lovely. To read all 20 verses click right HERE.

Here are a couple of verses we shared this morning…

  • Psalm 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
  • Psalm 23:4  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
  • Psalm 46:10  “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations,  I will be exalted in the earth!”

It is See You at the Pole – the global day of student prayer.

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This is the 26th anniversary for See You at the Pole, a student-initiated and student-led movement. This is the global day of student prayer!

This year’s theme is “WE CRY OUT” –A generation seeking Him!
The theme verses are Psalm 24:3-6:
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.

They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God their Savior.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face, God of Jacob.

This day of prayer is part of a week-long emphasis on prayer for young people.
The GLOBAL WEEK OF STUDENT PRAYER (Sunday, September 25 through Saturday, October 1) encourages students to find new and unique ways, places, and times to pray throughout the week. Whether you attend PUBLIC SCHOOL, PRIVATE SCHOOL, or HOME SCHOOL, gather your friends wherever and whenever and pray! The GLOBAL WEEK OF STUDENT PRAYER is dedicated to prayer and launching your on-campus Bible clubs, prayer strategies, and student ministries.

Reports from See You at the Pole from Knox County:
East Knox had 31 kids and adults praying together today. 25 at the high school, 16 at the elementary school.
Fredericktown had 50 kids and adults praying at the pole. They spent time praying together and then broke up into smaller groups for prayer time.
Mount Vernon reports around 100 kids and adults today. (85 kids and 15 adults). They spent time in praise and worship, group prayer and smaller group prayers.

*Please let us know what happened at YOUR school. Call 740-392-9090 and share the story of YOUR See You at the Pole experience.*

For the last 25 years, See You at the Pole has been about one simple act—prayer. SYATP is still about students uniting themselves in prayer before God interceding for their generation.

Click HERE to read more about the amazing history of See You at the Pole. It started in 1990 with a small group of teens from Burleson, Texas. The movement now connects millions of students around the globe!

Click HERE for reports from around the world.

Make sure to use #syatp on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram when posting pictures and memories from the 2016 See You at the Pole.

Bad Breath and Personalities

Bad Breath Woman

Everyone in the world struggles, with morning breath, and some with bad breath in general.  So today Marcy and Eddie shared some causes of bad breath so that you know what to avoid in the future.  Click HERE to read about some of them.

We also took a look at different ways that people judge personality, so that you know how people might evaluate you.  If you want to check those out click HERE.

June’s MVNU Presidential Update – The Morning Thing 6/3/16

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The Morning Thing shared the June Presidential Update today with MVNU President Dr. Henry Spaulding.

Click HERE to hear updates on campus activities, new student orientation and how the Spaulding family spent time together for Memorial Day. The Morning Thing’s Eddie Dilts talks with Dr. Spaulding.

Click HERE to keep up to date on Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

Thoughts from Israel- The Morning Thing on 3/14/16

Wesley Israel

Wesley Boston here. I recently returned from an incredible opportunity. From February 29th to March 11th I traveled across Israel and Jordan, seeing sites that brought the Bible to life and being introduced to cultures and people that were very different from me. A few things struck me as a result.

  1. The world is a lot bigger than America. Our guide, Rafi, who is seen in the above picture at the left end of the back row, reminded us that the U.S. is big- so big that we don’t need anybody else he said. Israel, to compare, is smaller than New Jersey. In the U.S. we don’t get out much, we don’t see much that is different, and we dont get out of our comfort zones. It’s good in so many ways to get into someone else’s country, culture, kitchen, history, etc.
  2. Differences in race, culture, and religion can be put aside. On this trip a Muslim man looked me, a Christian, in the eye and asked me to pray for peace in these lands. Two religions with two different Gods, but that didn’t matter. We could be united in this cause. One girl that I traveled with remarked that while watching the Jews pray at the Western “Wailing” Wall she realized that we aren’t so different. We all are simply trying to get closer to God.
  3. We believe and have faith in a God who does not operate in an abstract dimension or some Narnia -esque realm that we can’t get to or see. He works in real history, in real places, and with real people. While we can’t have definite proof and still have to trust and have faith, we can take comfort in knowing that we can see the places where the Bible tells us these things happened.
  4. History keeps going on. Rafi reminded us on the first day that since our our country is so young we have a different view of what is old. In his words, “You Americans find something that is 250 years old and you call it an antique. In Israel if something is 250 years old we don’t even look at it- it’s brand new! Come back when you have something from the 3rd or 4th century.” In that land I saw the remains of empire after empire and civilization after civilization. I stood in the ruins of palaces of mighty kings and the temples of foreign gods. History marches on and takes everything that mankind builds with it. But God remains. He is unchanged from the beginning and will still be here in another 2,000 years.
  5. We have a personal relationship but not a personal religion. By that I mean that while we are able to know God personally as our God and Savior it isn’t just about us. We are part of a worldwide community of believers that spans throughout history. Every one of us across the globe brings our own interpretations and culture and backgrounds to it but we are all one body serving the same risen Lord.
  6. We don’t have to travel around the world to be closer to God. This thought was not original with me. I was struggling with the fact that I had not had some kind of supernatural revelation or some experience where God broke through into my life in some brand new crystal clear way. Then one girl on the trip shared that she was struggling with the same issue- and then she realized that there’s a good reason for it. God is with us no matter where we are. We can be just as close to Him here in Ohio as we can in the Holy Lands. I have stood as close to the Holy of Holies as is humanly possible in 2016- but that didn’t make me any closer to God than I am right now as I write these words in Mount Vernon. God is with you and me no matter where we are and that is a great comfort.

It’s hard to sum up such an experience in one post, but these are a few of the things that God put on my heart during this journey. And yes, it was good to go- amazing to go- but it is good to be back. Hopefully the lessons I’ve learned can influence the way I live day to day.

Shalom!

Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day by learning more about the history and the man. The Morning Thing 1/18/16

rev dr martin luther king praying

Detroit Free Press photographer Tony Spina photographed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a reflective moment in March, 1968, 2 weeks before his assassination.

How much do you know about Dr. Martin Luther King Junior?
How much do you know about the history of today’s holiday?
One way that we can celebrate is to enhance our knowledge and understanding of why we celebrate on the third Monday of January.

Click HERE to see the amazing timeline of how long it took to have the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday created.

Click HERE to see 20 interesting facts about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. How much do you really know about the man?

Click HERE for more interesting facts about Dr. Marin Luther King Jr., plus links to some fabulous pictures and videos of this amazing man.

Mount Vernon High School’s production of “The King and I”

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We had the opportunity to talk with the cast and crew of Mount Vernon High School’s production of “The King and I.” They talk about preparing for their roles, why they wanted to get involved, and how the community can support this event. Of the 70 students involved we talked with Rachel Rinehart, Michaela Hauke, David McDonald, Ethan and Alex Jarosz, Jakob Daniels, Lauren Cagle and the director Cory Ward.
Mount Vernon High School presents “The King and I” for 3 nights this week – 4/23, 4/24 and 4/25 at 7pm in the high school theater.

Listen to our whole conversation right here!
https://soundcloud.com/wnzr/king-and-i-at-mount-vernon-highschool

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