I'm resetting the alarm on my smart phone. No more pre-dawn wake up calls. Beginning December 1 J93.3 becomes The JOY FM. That means a new morning show, The Morning Cruise with Dave, Carmen and Bill. I'll shifting to later in the day with new co-host Shannon Steele for "Prevenings with Jerry & Shannon." Yes, "prevenings," that ambiguous time between afternoon and evening, prevening. We'll be on Monday through Friday from 3:00 PM till 7:00 PM.
Carmen, Bill & Dave, The Morning Cruise
I rejoined the Morning Show at J93.3 in February of this year, teaming for the third time with Sheila Richards. It was a bittersweet couple of months, sharing Sheila's last days on the air. But it was a lot of fun. Since July, when Sheila was just too sick to make it in, I've been holding down mornings alone. My daughter, Kelsey, did come in from time to time to help out. And Kelsey still works for J93.3, doing a variety of things, mostly behind the scenes.
It's an exciting season for the ministry of J93.3. I hope you'll continue to pray for us as look forward to continued growth and, most importantly, serving God together with you.
Seems lately that Thanksgiving gets the short end of the stick. Used to be that Thanksgiving had a little build up all its own and then the Christmas season kicked in. Now it seems that retailers, desperate to hit their fourth quarter sales projections, have started leap frogging from Labor Day right to Christmas.
Well on J93.3 we want to make sure Thanksgiving gets the attention it deserves. So tomorrow on the Morning Show we'll be giving you an opportunity to call in and tell everyone what you're most thankful for in the past year. You can also leave comments on the J93.3 Face Book page.
Tomorrow will be my last day on the Morning Show. I'm taking a few days off to spend Thanksgiving with family. Rob Langer will fill in on Wednesday. Then next Thursday J93.3 becomes The JOY FM with the Morning Cruise with Dave, Carmen and Bill starting your day weekdays from 6:00 AM till 10:00 AM. I'll be joined by co-host Shannon Steele on a brand new show, Prevenings with Jerry & Shannon. Yes, Prevenings. That ambiguous period between afternoon and evening, prevening. We'll be on weekdays from 3:00 PM till 7:00 PM.
Since tomorrow is my last day in the mornings, it will also be my last day of blogging here on The J93.3 Morning Show Blog. But I hope to get back up to speed on my other blog, "And Jerry". And who knows, Shannon and I may start a new "Prevenings Blog" too.
Fall Concert Series Wrap Up
We want to thank everyone who came out for any of the shows on the J93.3 Fall Concert Series. We kicked it off way back on October 20 with Casting Crowns and wrapped it up this past Saturday with Brandon Heath and Britt Nicole.
Jerry and some of the many J93.3 listeners before the Brandon Heath show on Saturday.
To mark the last show in the series I took some photos of the audience while I was on stage. We'll have those on the J93.3 Face Book page. Feel free to tag yourself if you find your picture in there.
We are almost finished with the week...almost. Still have the final two shows in the J93.3 Fall Concert Series. Brandon Heath, with special guest Britt Nicole, wrap up the series tonight and tomorrow night, then we can call it a week.
We did wrap up the second annual T-Shirts For Turkeys. First the total: 2,336 turkeys! That will provide Thanksgiving dinner for thousands who would have gone without your generous participation.
We're also nearing the end of the Morning Show, with me, Jerry Williams. I'll be on the air in the morning Monday and Tuesday and then I'm taking a couple of extra days off to spend Thanksgiving with family. Thursday December 1 we become The JOY FM, with a brand new (to ATL) morning show, The Morning Cruise and a brand new afternoon show (name to be revealed soon) with me and Shannon Steele. It's going to be great and you are going to love Dave, Carmen and Bill in the mornings and Shannon in the afternoons. And of course Thanksgiving means that the Christmas music on J93.3 will be starting very soon.
This Week's Scripture References
We do prayer time every morning around 5:40 AM, and open it up with a few verses of scripture. Here are the references from this week:
James 1:2-4
Hebrews 10:23-25
John 15:12-17
Romans 12:1-2
Matthew 25:37-40
Friday Flashback Video
We did another Flashback Friday on the Morning Show today, playing songs from artists like Whiteheart, Keith Green, Scott Wesley Brown and Bryan Duncan. Those have always been a lot of fun. We didn't get to this husband and wife this morning. Scott and Christine Dente, better known as Out Of The Grey. Here's the video version of their song "All We Need."
It's just a matter of a few more episodes of the Morning Show and then J93.3 becomes The JOY FM with a revamped line up. The change takes place on December 1, but we do have Thanksgiving in between now and then and I'll be taking some time off to spend with family before the switch. So tomorrow is my last chance to a morning Flashback Friday. We'll open up the comments on the J93.3 Face Book page later this afternoon and then the studio phones just after 6:00 AM tomorrow for you to share (and request) your favorite memory songs.
Today is the final day for T-Shirts For Turkeys. This morning at the Eagles Landing Chick-fil-A in Stockbridge we collected 174 turkeys. We'll have the grand total tomorrow on the Morning Show and the J93.3 website.
I actually got INside the Chick-fil-A in Stockbridge to snap this photo.
What a busy week it's been, and we're no where near done. T-Shirts For Turkeys continues. Rob Langer was at the Chick-fil-A Dwarf House in Fayetteville yesterday afternoon and collected 106 turkeys. Paige Long will be at the Kroger on Chapel Hill in Douglasville today from 11:30 AM till 1:30 PM. And then tomorrow morning I'll be at the Eagles Landing Chick-fil-A in Stockbridge from 7:00 AM till 9:00 AM. Paige called in this morning to share a story about a family who contributed a turkey this year. Last year this family was on the receiving end. I share that story here (Paige's phone call is below) to help emphasize how great the need is and how much of a blessing it is for us (all of us, listeners, staff and community business partners like Lexus South Atlanta) to be able to participate.
On Friday morning we'll do another Flashback Friday. Late in the day on Thursday we'll open up the J93.3 Face Book page for you to post your requests and then from 6 - 9 Friday morning we'll be taking your calls.
Tomorrow on the Morning Show we'll talk with both Brandon Heath and Britt Nicole. They wrap up the J93.3 Fall Concert Series this Friday and Saturday. And we'll have some of that audio on this blog tomorrow too.
Here's one of the 174 turkeys collected today at the Fairburn Chick-fil-A
Then Thursday morning it's our last morning of T-Shirts For Turkeys. We'll be at the Eagles Landing Chick-fil-A in Stockbridge from 7:00am - 9:00am. Thanks to everyone who came out this morning to the Fairburn Chick-fil-A. We collected 174 turkeys!
And we'll wrap up the week with another Flashback Friday!
We kick off week two of T-Shirts For Turkeys tomorrow. I'll be at the Fairburn Chick-fil-A on Hwy 74 from 7:00 AM till 9:00 AM. And then Rob Langer will be at the Fayetteville Chick-fil-A Dwarf House from 4:30 PM till 6:30 PM tomorrow afternoon. We collected over 1,300 turkeys last week. We'd love to more than double that this week so even more families will have a nice Thanksgiving dinner. Your help is crucial to making that happen.
This also marks my last full week on the Morning Show. Next week is Thanksgiving, so I'll be taking a few days off. And then the week after that we make the transition to The JOY FM. That means the Morning Cruise will sail into town and I'll shift to afternoons with new co-host Shannon Steele.
Later this week we'll talk with both Brandon Heath and Britt Nicole and do a Flashback Friday! Hope to see you tomorrow morning in Fairburn at our next T-Shirts For Turkeys stop.
Thu 11/10 Griffin Chick-fil-A Dwarf House (Shannon Steele): 192 turkeys
I've listed the host of each turkey drop because we have a little in-house competition going on. So far our total is 1,190 turkeys! Paige Long will host the next turkey stop, tomorrow from 10 AM - Noon at Four Seasons Storage in Villa Rica. The rest of next week's locations are on the J93.3 website.
We got a warm welcome on a cold morning in Fayetteville
Next Week On The Morning Show
It promises to be another full week next week. We kick it off Monday with a chance to win a Family 4-Pak of tickets to one of the Brandon Heath concerts, featuring special guest Britt Nicole. From 6:00 AM till 6:00 PM on Monday whenever you hear Brandon and Britt back-to-back (or Britt and Brandon, it could be in either order) and you're caller #9 you'll win a Family 4-Pak of tickets to your choice of the Friday 11/18 concert at Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta or the Saturday 11/19 concert at New Hope Baptist north in Fayetteville. Also on Monday we'll talk with Robert Hudgins about Operation Christmas Child.
Tuesday and Thursday I'll be doing two more live broadcasts for T-Shirts For Turkeys. Tuesday we'll be at the Fairburn Chick-fil-A and on Thursday it's the Stockbridge Chick-fil-A. In between those two days (that would be Wednesday) we'll be talking with Brandon Heath and Britt Nicole about their upcoming concerts.
We'll wrap up the week with another Flashback Friday. We'll take your calls and comments on the J93.3 Face Book page requesting your favorite oldies.
This Week's Scripture References
Here are the Bible passages we used during morning prayer time this week:
Psalm 139:15 - 17
Psalm 25:14 - 18
Isaiah 55:6 - 9
Psalm 31:19 - 20
Psalm 112:5 - 8
Friday Flashback Video
Michael W. Smith has been around for what seems like forever. His first album (back then recorded music was still being released on those big black vinyl discs) was the 1983 "The Michael W. Smith Project." It contained the evergreen "Friends" which Michael wrote with his wife Deborah. By 1990 he was gaining some mainstream attention and this song, "Place In This World," reached as high as #6 on the Billboard Top 100. Here's the video for that song.
Tomorrow is Veterans' Day. We'll open the phones on the Morning Show and the comment section of the J93.3 Face Book for you to express your gratitude. It could be a general "thanks" or maybe a more personal story of a veteran or active military person in your life. And of course, if you're a vet or active military, we'd love to hear from you as well.
T-Shirts For Turkeys Update
This morning I was at the Chick-fil-A in south Fayetteville. We had a slow start, but finished strong with 166 turkeys. This afternoon is the next stop, at the Chick-fil-A Dwarf House in Griffin, and the first appearance by Shannon Steele, who'll be joining me in the afternoons beginning December 1.
It seems like the J93.3 T-Shirts For Turkeys is turning into a competition between the staff. I'm blaming this on Rob Langer and Paige Long. But you'll also notice that I'm not suggesting we stop "keeping score", since my first T-Shirts For Turkeys stop is still the top Turkey producer. That would be this past Saturday at the Newnan Chic-fil-A Dwarf House when listeners donated 276 turkeys.
Rob brought in 212 turkeys in LaGrange
Yesterday afternoon listeners brought 212 turkeys to the LaFayette Pkwy Chic-fil-A in LaGrange. Paige will be at the Charter Bank in Carrollton today from 11:30AM till 1:30PM. She pulled a fast on us though. Paige was speaking at the Bremen High School FCA meeting this morning and had the kids bringing turkeys there, thinking she could count them towards her total in Carrollton. She has no shame! Using children to run up her score.
Paige--pulling out all the stops in Carrollton
In the end it doesn't really matter which of us has turkey bragging rights. What really matters is that together we're making a difference right here in our own communities and showing the love of Jesus in a very tangible way, by providing a nice Thanksgiving dinner for thousands of people who otherwise would go without this year.
Meet Shannon Steele
When J93.3 becomes The JOY FM on December 1 we'll be getting a new morning show, The Morning Cruise, and a new afternoon show with me and our newest staff addition, Shannon Steele. Shannon and I will be on the air Monday through Friday from 3PM till 7PM. You get a chance to meet Shannon on Thursday November 10. She'll be hosting a T-Shirts For Turkeys stop at the Griffin Chic-fil-A Dwarf House from 4:30PM till 6:30PM.
Coming Up Friday
Friday is Veteran's Day. We'll be giving you an opportunity to share your gratitude to our nation's veterans and active duty men and women on our Face Book page and on the air.
Two of our 2011 T-Shirts For Turkeys stops are now complete. This morning we were at the Kedron Village Chic-fil-A in Peachtree City. When you combine the 126 turkeys we collected this morning with the 276 we received in Newnan on Saturday we're already at 402 turkeys. That will go a long way towards providing Thanksgiving meals for families right here in our own communities who would otherwise go without.
Four more frozen turkeys arrive in Newnan
We got frozen turkeys in Peachtree City too.
T-Shirts For Turkeys continues through November 17. This afternoon Rob Langer will be at the Chic-fil-A on LaFayette Pkwy in LaGrange from 4:30 - 6:30. And look for more photos from our first two stops on the J93.3 Face Book page.
Tickets & Tunes
With all of the excitement of getting over to the Chic-fil-A for the remote broadcast this morning, we neglected to play Tickets & Tunes. So that means we'll play twice tomorrow on the Morning Show. Be listening (and watching Twitter for your heads up Tweet) for your opportunity to call in and win a pair of tickets to "The Story".
We had a great start to the 2011 J93.3 T-Shirts for Turkeys at the Chic-fil-A Dwarf House in Newnan. The unofficial count was 276 turkeys! That'll feed quite a few families this Thanksgiving. We're continuing tomorrow morning with a live broadcast from the Kedron Village Chic-fil-A in Peachtree City from 7am - 9am. And then Rob Langer will be at the Chic-fil-A on LaFayette Pkwy in LaGrange from 4:30pm till 6:30pm. The entire schedule is on the J93.3 website.
Still More Concerts
tobyMac did two shows for us this past weekend.
tobyMac with J93.3 winners backstage before Saturday's concert.
And the Fall Concert Series wraps up with two concerts from Brandon Heath and special guest Brit Nicole on Friday 11/18 and Saturday 11/19.
Tickets & Tunes
All this week and next you have a chance to win a pair of tickets to "The Story" a great Christmas show featuring Steven Curtis Chapman, Newsboys and more.
Had a big week on the Morning Show and it's not over yet. First the recap. Kelsey was in every morning this week helping and keeping me on track. Our guests this past week included Roma Downey of "Touched By An Angel" fame; tobyMac, who is part of the J93.3 Fall Concert Series tonight and tomorrow night; and Michael Thomas of LaGrange College who told us all about the school and their upcoming visitation day.
Carmen Brown, Bill Martin & Dave Cruse of the Morning Cruise
But the biggest morning of the week was Thursday when J93.3 General Manager Rick Davison and Rob Langer joined us in the studio and the Morning Cruise: Dave Cruse, Carmen Brown, and Bill Martin from the JOY FM in Florida were on the phone to help us announce that J93.3 will become the JOY FM here in Georgia on December 1. The Morning Cruise will be our new morning show and I'll be moving to afternoons (Monday through Friday, 3pm till 7pm) with new co-host Shannon Steele. More details will be coming up.
Turkey Kick-Off
We kick off the second annual J93.3 T-Shirts For Turkeys tomorrow at 10 AM at the Newnan Chic-fil-A Dwarf House on Rt. 34. I'll be broadcasting live, and I hope to see you there. Last year listeners just like donated over 3,000 turkeys that helped feed over 14,000 people for Thanksgiving. The need is just as big--probably bigger--this year, so we need your help to provide a little tangible love to struggling families right here in our own community. More details on T-Shirts For Turkeys can be found on the J93.3 website.
After Saturday's kick off we'll be out every Tuesday and Thursday morning and afternoon, Wednesdays around lunchtime, and then again next Saturday. We wrap up this year's T-Shirts For Turkeys on Thursday November 17.
Next Week's Tickets & Tunes
For the past three weeks we've given you an opportunity to pick your tickets on Tickets & Tunes; you could have chosen to go see any one of the four concerts we have in November, two with tobyMac and Jamie Grace and two with Brandon Heath and Brit Nicole. Next week we start a new prize package: a pair of tickets to "The Story Tour: A Musical Journey From Genesis To Revelation." The show features Steven Curtis Chapman, Newsboys, Francesca Battistelli, Natalie Grant, Anthem Lights and Max Lucado. It's at Phillips Arena on Thursday December 8. On the J93.3 website you can also register to win Family 4-Pak of tickets along with a chauffeured ride and $100 for dinner.
This Week's Scripture References
Every day we begin the Morning Show with a short reading from the Bible and a time of prayer. Here are the scripture references we used this week:
Romans 13:9-13
I Timothy 6:11-12
Titus 2:11-14
I Peter 5:6-10
I John 5:3-5
Friday Flashback Video
We started the whole Friday Flashback Video on this blog and Flashback Friday on the air during this past summer after an interview with Amy Grant. Amy and Michael W. Smith brought their tour to Atlanta and it was part of our Summer To Remember. Since Amy was (at least in part) responsible for inspiring it I thought this week we'd flashback to one of her videos.
This one is from her best selling 1991 Heart In Motion project. The song wasn't the biggest hit on that CD (back then they were still records), that would have "Baby Baby". But I like this song better. Here's "I Will Remember You".
On December 1 J93.3 will become The JOY FM! The music and "feel" and ministry of the station will stay pretty much as is. We will be getting a new morning show, The Morning Cruise. The show is based out of Florida and has been on our sister station (The JOY FM) there for years. You're going to love them.
Bill Martin, Carmen Brown, Dave Cruse: The Morning Cruise Crew
I'll be moving to afternoons and introducing a new co-host, Shannon Steele. This is great news and, as J93.3 General Manager Rick Davison said on the Morning Show earlier today, shows how the Lord is growing the outreach and ministry of this radio station. We could not do it without the faithful support, both financial and prayerful, of listeners just like you.
Here's our conversation from this morning with the Morning Cruise announcing the news:
The Morning Cruse will continue to be on the air in Florida as well as here in the ATL and they'll be based in Florida. Though they will be here in ATL on occasion. Matter of fact, they'll kick off the show from the (current) J93.3 (soon to be the JOY FM) studios on December 1 and 2, and we'll have them scheduled to be out to meet you during that time.
We'll continue to keep you updated through this blog, the J93.3 Face Book page and the J93.3 website. Course, all of three of those will also be affected by the change to the JOY FM, but more on that later.
Prayer Requests
Prayer is a huge part of what we do, not only starting every Morning Show with prayer time, but throughout the day on J93.3. We received a number of prayer requests today that I thought I'd pass along to you so you can make them part of your prayer time today.
Trevor Redish. Trevor was born on October 23, four months early, weighing in at 1 lb 6 oz. He recently underwent surgery to remove a portion of his intestine due to a hole in it.
Paula, having a double mastectomy today.
Jayson, his step dad just passed away and Jayson asks for prayer for his mom.
Tomorrow on the Morning Show
We'll be joined by a guest from one our community partners, LaGrange College, talking about their upcoming visitation day. And we'll also continue our conversation, on air and on Face Book, about the switch to the JOY FM.
We had tobyMac on the Morning Show today. He'll be doing his "Unplugged: A Night of Stories & Songs" as part of the J93.3 Fall Concert Series this Friday and Saturday. Toby will be joined by special guest Jamie Grace.
Gabe, Jamie Grace & tobyMac
Here are segments of the conversation we had with Toby:
Big News Tomorrow
Hope you'll be able to listen tomorrow morning just after 8:00 AM. We have some big news to share on J93.3. We're expecting a few very special guests to help us reveal the news. You don't want to miss it.
Roma Downey was on the Morning Show today. Roma is best known for her role as Monica in the long running TV series "Touched By An Angel." Roma's new project, "Little Angels," is in stores today. It's a faith based project targeted at pre-schoolers.
Roma Downey discussed her new project on the Morning Show
Tomorrow on the Morning Show
We'll talk with tobyMac about his upcoming "Unplugged: A Night of Stories & Songs" shows on the J93.3 Fall Concert Series. Toby will be joined in concert by special guest Jamie Grace. And we'll have that interview on the Morning Show blog as well.
This is the final week for Your Choice Tickets & Tunes. Tomorrow through Friday you can win a Family 4-Pak of tickets to any one of the four November shows in the J93.3 Fall Concert Series. That's two with tobyMac and two with Brandon Heath.
Tomorrow on the Morning Show Roma Downey will be our guest. Roma is best remembered for her role as the angel Monica on the TV series "Touched By An Angel." Roma has a new project for children, sort of a faith based Baby Einstein.
Alex & Zoe of Little Angels
It's called Little Angels. Roma will tell us all about it tomorrow, which just happens to be the day it hits stores. We'll have some audio from that conversation on tomorrow's Morning Show blog entry.
Then on Wednesday we'll talk with tobyMac. Toby is doing his "Unplugged, A Night of Stories and Songs" show for two nights as part of the J93.3 Fall Concert Series. Jamie Grace is on the bill with him. And you still have a chance to win tickets to one of the shows with Tickets & Tunes all this week.
Jerry's New Ringtone
I know the suspense has been eating you up. So here's the reveal--I've finally chosen my new seasonal ringtone. It' "Joy To The World." That's the one that got the best response out of the four choices I had narrowed it down to. Just in case you missed it, here it is again:
Busy week ahead on the Morning Show. And technically it starts tomorrow, at least for me. I'll be at McDuff Crossings Shopping Center, Route 34 in Peachtree City from Noon till 2 PM with a J93.3 sticker stop and canned food drive.
Cathy Bergren, Lori Lawrence, Jerry, Jane Stewart
The canned food drive benefits the Real Life Center, a group that J93.3 has partnered with many times. We had three ladies on the Morning Show today (Friday) talking about the event. There was Cathy Berggren of the Real Life Center, Lori Lawrence of My Pampered Pooch, representing McDuff Crossings Shopping Center, and Jane Stewart of Georgia SPCA. There will be an animal adoption going on tomorrow as well as many other family friendly activities. Hope to see you there.
Then tomorrow evening I'll be at the Chonda Pierce show, even though Chonda promised to give any guys in the audience a tough time. Chonda is part of the J93.3 Fall Concert Series.
But before any of that happens, it's Game 7 of the World Series tonight. That means that sometime tomorrow I FINALLY get to start playing Christmas music at home. And I have to change the ringtone on my phone. I have four of them I'm considering. Maybe you can help me decide. Here they are:
You can leave a comment below telling me which one you like best. And I may also post them on my Face Book page and get some input from listeners on Monday on the Morning Show.
Next Week On The Morning Show
We have some big name guests scheduled next week. On Tuesday it's Roma Downey. You remember her from the hit TV series "Touched By An Angel". She has a new children's project coming out and we'll talk about that. On Wednesday we'll chat with tobyMac. He's doing two shows next week as part of the J93.3 Fall Concert Series. And he just had his very first Christmas project released a few weeks ago. And on Friday we'll talk with Michael Thomas of LaGrange College about their upcoming visitation day.
This Week's Scripture References
Here are the verses we used during prayer time on the Morning Show this week:
Isaiah 43:1-2
Psalms 103:8-12
Psalms 130:1-6
Psalms 9:9-10
Psalms 116:3-7
Friday Flashback Video
One of my favorite songwriters of all time is Rich Mullins. He passed away over 10 years ago now, so there aren't very many "concept" videos of his music. I did manage to find this one. It's not one of his better known songs and while it got some radio airplay it certainly wasn't one of his biggest hits. It is a great song nonetheless, and a pretty decent video. Hope you enjoy it, "Here In America".
Tomorrow marks the final Friday in October, which is also Clergy Appreciation Month. We'll take your phone calls and Face Book comments about what you appreciate most about the wives and families of your pastors (those often unsung heroes of church life).
We're also scheduled to have a guest or two in the studio to help us get ready for a J93.3 sticker stop/food drive. That happens on Saturday from Noon till 2 PM at McDuff Crossings Shopping Center. The food drive will benefit the Real Life Center.
World Series Game 6 was a no-go, potentially pushing back the start of my Christmas music.
Will We Get Christmas Music Tomorrow?
If World Series Game 6 had been played last night, and if the Texas Rangers had won, then I'd be going home this afternoon to break out the Christmas music. But rain was in the forecast for St. Louis and the game was postponed. A St. Louis Cardinals victory tonight will force a Game 7 on Friday, backing up my Christmas music debut till Saturday. But come Monday I'll be able to report on how I kicked off the Christmas music season at home and maybe get your input on my cellphone ringtone for the season.
We had Chonda Pierce on the Morning Show today. She's doing two concerts as part of the J93.3 Fall Concert Series. This Friday at First Baptist Church Atlanta and Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church, the north campus, in Fayetteville. All the details on the entire concert series are here.
Chonda Pierce is part of our Fall Concert Series
Here are the audio clips with Chonda from today's Morning Show:
So many ringtones, so little time
The Texas Rangers lead the World Series 3 games to 2 over the St. Louis Cardinals. Game 6 is tonight. If the Rangers win, the World Series, and baseball season is over. If the Cards win then it will all be decided on Thursday night. So at the very latest there will be Christmas music playing at my house by Friday.
That still leaves the little issue of what Christmas ringtone to use on my phone. There are so many of them. I've already loaded four of them onto the phone (not counting the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" from the Nutcracker--that's the ringtone I've assigned to my daughter). I just can't decide. I have versions of "Silent Night", "Hark, The Herald Angels", "We Three Kings", and "Joy To The World". I hope the Series goes the full 7 games so I can figure this out. Maybe I'll play them tomorrow on the air and/or post them here or on Face Book and get your opinion.
Tix & Tunes and Clergy Appreciation
We're still playing "Your Choice" Tickets & Tunes this week. If you win you get a Family 4-Pak of tickets to your choice of one of the four November concerts and a copy of the Chonda Pierce DVD "Did I Say That Out Loud?" And on Friday we wrap up our observance of Clergy Appreciation Month by giving you a chance to share what's special about your pastor's wife and family.
I just got off the phone with Chonda Pierce. Actually I got off the phone about 20 minutes ago, but it's taken me this long to stop laughing. She is one funny lady. We recorded the conversation and will play portions of it back tomorrow on the Morning Show. And we'll also have a few "Bonus Tracks" only available here on the Morning Show blog.
Chonda will be on the Morning Show tomorrow
Chonda performs as part of the J93.3 Fall Concert Series this week. Thursday she'll be at the River Center For The Performing Arts in Columbus, Friday it's First Baptist Church Atlanta, and on Saturday it's New Hope Baptist, north campus, in Fayetteville. All shows begin at 7:00 PM and you can still get tickets through the J93.3 website here. Warren Barfield will also be appearing with Chonda each evening.
Chonda on Tickets & Tunes
We're still doing a "Your Choice" Family 4-Pak of tickets to any one of the four November concerts in the J93.3 Fall Concert Series, and we'll also include a copy Chonda's DVD "Did I Say That Out Loud?"
Until her interview airs on the Morning Show tomorrow and you get a chance to see her live later this week, here's a video of Chonda. Sort of to hold you over.
If you've ever listened to me on the radio for more than a few days over the past 30+ years (and that could have been anywhere from Wheeling, WV, Long Island, NY, Louisville, KY, St. Louis, MO or here in the ATL) you know I have two seasonal passions: baseball and Christmas. My philosophy is that there are only two seasons, baseball season and Christmas season. And when one ends, the other begins. So at my house the World Series is a big deal for two reasons, it's the highlight of the baseball season, and it signals the beginning of Christmas season. The day after the Series ends I start playing Christmas music at my house.
Yes, I realize that may be a tad early for some folks. But for me Christmas music is some of the best music ever written, and it seems a shame to only enjoy it one month out of the year. However, that doesn't mean that I'm in favor of rushing the commercialization of the season. I understand how important the Christmas shopping season is to the economy, but come on--Christmas displays in the stores before Halloween? What's you opinion? Are retailers rushing things a bit? What about radio stations (J93.3 included) going all Christmas music--how soon is too soon and how much is too much? Comment on the J93.3 Face Book page, in the comment section of this blog below or call in during the Morning Show tomorrow.
Fox Fever Run Results
Saturday morning I was at Fox Fever Run at Oak Hill Baptist Church in Griffin. I'd say "bright and early" but we were out there for a live broadcast long before it was "bright".
We were at Fox Fever Run before the sun showed up.
We got to meet quite a few listeners and runners. One of those runners was 13-year-old Jordin Mitchell. I talked with Jordin before the 5K run and she told me she planned on winning it this year.
Jerry and Jordin, before the start of th 5K.
Not only did Jordin place 1st among all female runners, but she finished 8th overall out of 147 runners with a time of 24:32. That's 3.11 miles in just over 24 and a half minutes. That averages out to UNDER 8 minutes per mile! You can check the results of the 5K here.
Jordin called in this morning. In case you missed it, or you want to hear it again, here's that conversation.
More "Your Choice" Tickets & Tunes
We're continuing the "Your Choice" Family 4-Paks of tickets to any one of the four concerts in the J93.3 Fall Concert Series. That includes two shows with tobyMac and Jamie Grace and two shows with Brandon Heath and Brit Nicole.
Chonda Pierce is also on the bill for the concert series with three shows this week. We're scheduled to have her on the Morning Show on Wednesday.
Every morning this week we've played Tickets & Tunes and given winners their choice of a Family 4-Pak of tickets to any one of the four November concerts in the J93.3 Fall Concert Series. There are two shows with tobyMac and special guest Jamie Grace and two shows with Brandon Heath and special guest Brit Nicole. Every morning through Thursday our winners chose tobyMac tickets.
I had a chance to talk with Brandon Heath yesterday, and broke this disheartening news to him.
Brandon Heath closes out the J93.3 Fall Concert Series
Brandon's plea must have worked. Our Friday morning winner chose the Family 4-Pak to one of the Brandon Heath concerts! In an effort to try and continue showing the love to Brandon, we're extending our "Your Choice" Tickets & Tunes through all of next week! If you follow us on Twitter you always receive a "heads up" Tweet a few minutes before the contest begins. You can sign up to follow us on Twitter by clicking the "Twitter" button to the right.
Jamie Grace will be at The Rock Ranch tomorrow & with tobyMac in November
We also had a chance to chat with Jamie Grace. Jamie is performing tomorrow (Saturday 10/22) at The Rock Ranch. Here's part of that conversation.
tobyMac will do two acoustic "Story Tellers" shows in November
Fun & Run--two words that shouldn't go together
I'm not much of a runner. Though I will admit that I'm more of one now than I was a couple of years ago (but that's a story for another blog). So the idea of "Fun Run" is still a little hard for me to reconcile. But that's what's happening tomorrow with the Fox Fever Run. It's a benefit for World Missions with a 1 mile, 5k and 10K races. Doug Lawrence, one of the organizers, was on the Morning Show today. He brought his family (with the exception of 14-month old Andrew) with him, and yes, they are all runners, even 5-year old Lane.
The Lawrence family, runners all. Doug, Alexis, Caleb, Lane and Angela
This Week's Scripture References
We begin every day on the Morning Show with prayer time and a short scripture reading. Here are the verses we used this week:
Romans 8:15 - 17
I Corinthians 7:29 - 31
Philippians 4:4 - 7
Colossians 2:6 - 10
I Thessalonians 5:12 - 22
Friday Flashback Video
The song "Jesus Is Just Alright" was written by Arthur Reid Reynolds and was included on his group's, The Art Reynolds Singers, 1966 album "Tellin' It Like It Is". It's been recorded by dozens of acts since then. I first became aware of the song when the Doobie Brothers released it as a single in 1972. Twenty years later, 1992, dc Talk recorded it on their "Free At Last" project. They also did a video, which is this week's flashback.
It's going to be a busy Friday on the Morning Show. We continue our observation of Clergy Appreciation Month by opening the phone lines and the J93.3 Face Book page for you to tell us what's special about a church staff member at your church.
Doug Lawrence of Fox Fever Run will join in studio to fill us in on the event that happens Saturday morning at Oak Hill Baptist Church in Griffin. There are 1 mile, 5K and 10K runs and I'll be there with a live broadcast beginning at 7 AM.
Jamie Grace will also be on the show via phone talking about her Saturday concert at The Rock Ranch and her appearance with tobyMac on Friday November 4 and Saturday November 5 as part of our Fall Concert Series.
And speaking of the J93.3 Fall Concert Series, it kicks off tonight with Casting Crowns in Auburn. And tomorrow we'll have another "Your Choice" prize package. You get to choose a Family 4-Pak of tickets to any one of our four November concerts. There are two with tobyMac and two with Brandon Heath to choose from. So far everyone who's won has picked tobyMac tix. We may have to continue the give away next week to try and show Brandon a little love.
In the midst of all this there's a little sporting event going on--THE WORLD SERIES!! I made a comment on my Face Book page about the match up this year, St. Louis Cardinals VS. Texas Rangers, that has drawn the ire of both Cards and Rangers fans. You can join that discussion on my Face Book page or the J93.3 Face Book page. Speaking of my Face Book page, a little while ago I made a push to get to 200 friends. As of this morning I'm at 300! See you in the morning.
Tomorrow, Thursday 10/20, marks the opening of the J93.3 Fall Concert Series. The series starts with Casting Crowns in Auburn. All the details on the entire series can be found on the J93.3 website. The concert series includes four headline acts spread over nine shows: two with Casting Crowns, three with Chonda Pierce, two with tobyMac and two with Brandon Heath. Brandon closes the series on November 19.
Tomorrow on the Morning Show we'll share some of a conversation with Mark Hall of Casting Crowns. Mark will talk about looking forward to playing in Auburn and the new CD "Come To The Well." You can listen to the full CD on the J93.3 website!
All this week on Tickets & Tunes you get to choose your prize pak. It's a Family 4-Pak of tickets to any one of the four concerts in November, tobyMac or Brandon Heath. So far this week every winner has chosen tickets to tobyMac. But we're pulling for Brandon (we may need to extend the winning into next week to give him a chance to catch up).
And on Friday our observance of Clergy Appreciation Month continues. You'll have the opportunity to share what's special about members of your church staff, both on the air and on the J93.3 Face Book page. Speaking of the J93.3 Face Book page, we're getting closer to a "milestone" number of "likes". Rob Langer has posted a challenge to get us over that number. Check it all out and join the many conversations going on over at our Face Book page.
We had two guests in the studio on the Morning Show today, Jenny Fritz, Chairperson of the Newnan-Coweta County Chamber of Commerce Big Expo 2011, and Glen Gould, VP of the Chamber.
Glen Gould, Jerry, Jenny Fritz
We talked about the Big Expo 2011, a Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce event going on this Thursday at the Summit Family YMCA on Highway 34 in Newnan. You can get more information on the event at accesscoweta.com.
App Update
Yesterday we talked about smart phone apps and the You Version Bible app received quite a few recommendations. I downloaded the app yesterday and had a chance to explore it a little last night. I chose one of the many (there are dozens of them) reading plans, "A Moment With Scripture," which is one of the year-long plans available. A few other people have shared that they're doing other reading plans with the app. I hope to do a semi-regular update on how my plan is progressing, either through the app itself or on my Face Book page and/or through this blog. I'd be interested in hearing how you're doing on your reading plan as well.
The Winning Continues
All this week you get the opportunity to choose your prize package with Tickets & Tunes. You can pick a Family 4-Pak of tickets to any one of our four November concerts. There are two with tobyMac and two with Brandon Heath. Our November concerts are made possible by LaGrange College.
