The Morning Cruise Replay

It is generosity that allows many things to move forward, including our Sharathon and we so appreciate your support. But there is a difference between generosity and tithing. In both cases, Carmen recommends to start giving at a young age.  Dave is back and his voice is moving "out of the basement and back to the ground floor".  Bill brought us back to tithing and how it impacts the church.  As Dave had been out, he wondered how far the needle moved towards our running...

Hearing your open mic calls on why you listen and choose to give to the ministry here, is a source of rejuvenation around here. Restoration on your budget may require you to cut some things. Carmen has a list of 10 ways to cut the budget.  Phil Wickham's new album is certainly rejuvenating and Carmen wanted to include a couple in today's Midweek Praise Break. It is songs like these that point towards God's restorative grace.  There is no better restoration than getting sleep. Carmen...

Bill thought a trip to the car wash with his grandkids was in order, but he quickly learned that they were not all that comfortable with the way the car wash works.  On yesterday's show, we played a new song from Phil Wickham. Carmen liked it so much she wanted to start the day with it.  Dave's voice isn't working the way it usually does so we sent him home. And hearing the car wash story from Bill, we heard from a listener who lost their car antenna in a car wash and the only...

It's the start of a new week and Carmen's ready for Sharathon to start. But she needs to wait another week! One family in the Tampa Bay area is enjoying their new addition with the arrival of their baby boy and he's making headlines for his size!  In light of all the things happening in the world, many churches around the world saw an uptick in attendance over the weekend. We are encouraged by this phenomenon and spent some time throughout the show discussing it, including bringing Haley...

  Hearing a song from Steven Curtis Chapman, Dave was reminded that he will be touring his Speechless album soon, and he shared a story about writing a song for that album that led to us remembering a story he told that is one of the best stories we've heard on the show. We went and found that story and shared the hilarious tale with you.  Bill shared some thoughts on finding joy, both as a feeling and an action.  As we gear up for Sharathon, Bill put out a challenge to...

Today was a tough day as we lament the loss of a voice that spread the Gospel throughout the nation and we remember the lives of those lost on this day 24 years ago in the attacks of 9/11.  We said that we will not forget and we honor that by playing our timeline of the events that happened on that fateful day.    00:32 Remembering Charlie Kirk  03:59 lament today, rather than attack  06:44 9/11 - We Will...

Bill surprised us yesterday with his challenge to help with the running start for Sharathon. So Carmen thought it sounded so good that we may need to do something like it today.  The Sound of Music is celebrating an anniversary  Dave read the description for a product he was interested in buying online and thought the name of it sounded off.  Our Midweek Praise Break always sounds good. And today, we heard "Rest On Us", "Rattle", and "Goodness of God".  Bill sounded...

Dave is back from a weekend trip to Texas and enjoying a quieter pace. Crowder is back to touring and he's found a new way to get around on stage. It reminded us of the time he got surfing lessons in Hawaii. You'll never believe who he found to be his instructor.  As we get ready for Sharathon, it's amazing to us just how far our radio signal goes. Especially when people find our app!  Red Lobster famously failed with their all-you-can-eat Shrimp and they have found a new way to...

We were a bit out of our normal routine with Dave out today, but that didn't stop Bill from asking about routine habits when it comes to what side of the bed you sleep on and psychological health.  Now that football is back in season, Carmen doesn't want it to become routine that we talk about the weekend games at the same time every Monday. And Bill had to reach to try and show interest in LSU Football with Dave's abscence.  We're getting out of our normal routine with Sharathon...

Listening to today's show, you might ask yourself, "What were they thinking?", and, well, hopefully, we've got answers.  We've got insight into Bill's resources for fashion, NFL Spitgate, a dream that Carmen had that involved her daughter, the creation of a song for Sharathon this year. Carley Boyette's chat got us a glimpse behind the curtain into Light Of The World, a new animated movie in theatres now.  Carmen's got some surprising statistics about church attendance.  And...

Carmen used to eat a lot of egg bites from Starbucks but she tired of them eventually. Now that they have a new egg bite flavor, she's thinking about starting to eat them again. To help her decide, she and Bill took the extra step of asking ChatGPT for more info.  Sharathon is just 3 weeks away and we need your help with the running start. But Candice may need a little more help with her stride.  Bill has turned into a runner and what convinced him of that is when he kept stride...

Bill got us started this morning with a review of a movie he focused on watching over the 3-day weekend. But, after his review, Carmen was surprised to hear him ask if they would watch it.  Carmen picked up her phone on Saturday but quickly put it down and chose to focus on football rather than social media.  Bill turned our attention to Matthew 11:28-30 to talk about Jesus' yoke and healing brokenness.  In just 3 weeks, we will turn our focus on to Sharathon. And for those...

As we come out of a long 3-day weekend celebrating Labor Day in the U.S., Bill has his eye on some unique festivals happening in September.  Dave worked hard to make another batch of Red Beans and Rice in the hopes that he'll get a better review this time.  It was week 1 of college football and there was a lot to discuss as Lee Corso capped off his career at College GameDay and some teams need to hit the practice field to work it out and figure out a few things before week 2.  Despite...

We are troubled by the tragic school shooting in Minneapolis and praying for those involved.  On a lighter note, Bill, as chaplain, wanted to know if Dave and Carmen had any troubled thoughts about the opening weekend of college football.  As some consider Labor Day to be the unofficial end to summer, Dave is having trouble figuring out if it is the end of grilling season as well.  Bill shared some thoughts on the troublesome challenges to our faith when evil shows its...

We had a full plate on the show today as we Bill served up a story on a research project involving toast. Carmen learned the difference between Dough Joe's and a dojo.  We gave you a taste of the highlights from our conversation with Josiah Queen on his new album, Mt. Zion.  The rebranding efforts of Cracker Barrel have been all over the news over the last week and we finally got a chance to discuss it. Bill flipped the conversation to the false hope of rebranding yourself.  We...

Josiah Queen joined us to share new music from his sophomore album, Mt. Zion, this morning. Before he joined us, Carmen shared the social media interactions between Forrest Frank, Matthew West and Cory Asbury and the humility they displayed online.  Dave brought up the haboob that blanketed Phoenix, Arizona. Bill told us about the La Tomatina Festival that starts today in Valencia, Spain and we had our Midweek Praise Break featuring Worthy Of It All by CeCe Winans, Reckless Love by Cory...

According to a recent study, coffee is an important piece of the puzzle to improving your mood. Seems pretty obvious to us. But is a latte nap an obvious solution to getting through the afternoon slump?  New to the job market or getting ready to interview? Bill's got some tips to help you prep including what not to ask.  Wanna plan ahead and see when the most common birthdays are so you can figure out when your child might have a birthday party to attend? Carmen's got a handy little...

Dave, Bill and Carmen are all back in their seats this morning after taking a week of vacation. They shared a little bit about their time away on the show this morning.  00:32 Back in the seats  02:43 Bill in "Old Florida"  05:32 Carmen brings heat and rain on vacay  08:22 Coolcations  12:17 Amicolola Falls  16:48 Finding Old News that is still relevant 21:04...

Did you get the message that Green Eggs and Ham is celebrating 65 years? SPAM is helping to get that message out with a commemorative packaging.  Carmen's not sure she's ever had SPAM.  Pat Barrett has a message in his new song, "I've Got A Fire" that he thinks his Dad will communicate the message clearly in the music video. His dad is no stranger to the stage and uses all sorts of ways to get the message across, even when reading to his grandkids.  Did you get the message...

We had our first artist visit in our new home and it was none other than Chris Tomlin! He stopped by to share some new music with us from his new album, The King Is Still The King, which will be available on September 26th.  Before he joined us, Bill tried to help Carmen with some last minute vacation plans and we did some last minute cleaning before our guest showed up!  00:32 Garlic Festival  03:32 Festivals Carmen won't attend  06:54...

We've got a lot of food talk on the menu for today's show. Some of it will nourish your body while some of it will nourish your mind.  Bill started us off with some unexpected breakfast foods and Dave told us about an unexpected way to take care of your sour dough needs . The Midweek Praise Break is a great way to nourish your mind and we did that with songs from Cain (Blessed Assurance), Cody Carnes (Christ Be Magnified) and You Are My King (Chris Tomlin).  Have you heard...

Being in 2 different spaces and both recovering from recent injuries may not stop Forrest Frank and Crowder from a possible collab.  What helps your head space? Bill makes the case for routine  As teachers and students navigate the space of a new school year, we heard from several about the highlights of their first day yesterday.  Dave, our resident space geek, took some time to appreciate the work of astronaut, Jim Lovell, who passed away recently.  If you look...

It's the first day of school for many in Florida today and we wanted to make sure they were starting out the year with a little prayer.  What are the attractive interests that make a man stand out? Carmen shared the results of a study and we're not sure if Dave or Bill is more attractive!  Bill had his eyes on 2025 Scrabble Players Championship and he wanted to play a little game with Dave and Carmen to start out the week.  NFL Preseason action started this past weekend....

If you record the amount of minutes you go for a walk, you might be surprised by the benefits there are, not just physically but for your brain as well.  A man made an impressive swim in an effort to defect from North Korea. We're not sure if it is a record but Bill has the info on a record bike ride. And just the other day, it was the anniversary of a record-setting swim across the English Channel.  Dave loves to use the TimeHop app to keep a record of his memories. He shared...

We're about to see a lot of effort put forth on the football field as several teams will suit up tonight in pre-season action.  If you're like Carmen and it has felt like a heavy week with all that is going on, she's got a reminder for you from Romans 8.  As we continue to build our new home, we watched the laborious process of our sign getting installed yesterday.  It was announced earlier this week that there are plans to have a nuclear reactor installed on the moon which...

Dave had a tough time getting going this morning and had to move some vehicles around just to get to work. His story reminded Carmen of the car shuffling that often happened when her daughters lived at home and all 4 in the family had a vehicle.  Bill was moved to pray for Christians in Israel and Palestine. As he did that, we heard from another listener whose husband is helping to move food into the region.  WIth our big move, we've run into all sorts of issues.  Get on...

When Carmen's got a technical problem, her way to fix it is to ask you, our "JOY FM Genius Bar" for help. She did that this morning with a question about her devices and FaceTime.  As students and teachers go back to school, Bill has some ideas to help you with the ways to go towards a successful school year.  In that discussion, Bill shared that he points his keys in the direction of the fridge to help him remember to grab his food as he heads out for the day. That prompted Carmen...

We're back to business for the first full week in our new home. And for many teachers and students in our listening areas, it is back to school time as well.  Hitch is back from vacation and getting used to his new space. Over the weekend, Carmen had some help getting some things ready for others in the office to have their first day in the new building as well. And she's a bit concerned that it will not be business in usual after an earthquake impacted NYC over the weekend and she'll...

Bill kicked of the morning revisiting a thought on "eschatological vison" for our life.There's a gap between those who know text etiquette and those who are just figuring out what an emoji is, Bill, Jules and Chad go through what might be good and what could be bad texting practices. While on their trip to Nashville, Dave, Bill and Carmen sat down with friend and sister Natalie Grant!From singing the National Anthem and meeting Tom Brady to what it's like raising...

Dave opens the morning with a word from John 8:12, how Jesus shines the light of the Gospel into our lives. Carmen gushes about her love for Cece Winans, as The Morning Cruise looks over her impressive career and how she's continued to stay grounded and relevant. Haley come onto the Cruise to talk packing things up for Car Car and how what memories she'll be taking with her to the new building. In Cruise fashion, with being over a month away, how could they NOT talk FOOTBALL...

Dave dives into the idea of having an “unshakable faith” in today's morning devotion. Carmen reflects on her emotions as the team prepares to move into a new building. With a longer commute ahead, Dave and Bill are figuring out how to make the most of their extended time in the car. As summer heats up, Carmen is planning a getaway to New York City—hoping...

Bill dives in to the idea of an "unshakable faith" in today's morning devotion. The Hulkster, Terry Bollea, passed away at the age of 71. With a history with it's own hills and valleys, Bill discussed the westled faith behind the legendary wrestler.Carmen tag-teams in with her own story of a Hulk Hogan encounter. The Cruise discusses a couples' Coast-to-Coast vacation, visiting all 63 National Parks, over 9 years!

Dave started off hot with The Iron Dome! A new mosquito repelent that sounds more Star Wars than anything else.The Morning Cruise reacts to the story of 29 year old Estrella, who befriended 97 year old Lilian, over a car ride and a Wendy's meal. Hope Darst became fast friends with the Cruise, as she talks everything from her "late" start at a record deal, the stories behind some of your favorite songs and what it is to be passionate about the gospel in a post-truth world. 

Celebrating it's 250th year, the postal service gets a mention, as well as Bill being awstruck with the value of stamp collections and some of the most prized pieces. The Morning Cruise discusses some of the top Sodas and Bottoled Waters in the US, as well as some of the strengest orders they've encountered in the drive-thruCarmen talks Sam Ponder, after her ESPN firing over a year ago - Sam took to The Sage Steele Podcast to talk things through! LISTEN HERESome...

With the Cruise' time in the building The JOY FM has called home the last 39 years, dwindling down, there's an excitement for the move and a pause for the memories. As a born and bread Alabama fan, Carmen talks through the new documentary "Nothing But A Winner". Which chronicles the rise of the greatest college football program in the history of the sport – the University of Alabama Crimson Tide.Bill went borderline full existential,...

Dave stumbpled on a fan he swore was made for Carmen. Sleek, soft-toned and surprisingly spot on with her vibe. She tried it. He was right. Who knew Dave had such an eye for aesthetic?Scottie Scheffler claimed his first US Open, proving calm consistency can still be headline-worthy. A first time win that felt less like a fluke and more like fate catching up. Bill showed the crew a video of an emotional support kangaroo had the internet feeling some kind of way, until...

After we re-shared our conversation with Dave Barnes, Bill wanted to offer some encouragement to parents as their teens go through growing pains. Dave has found that that encouragement is needed for adult children as well.  The family of Chase Childers is going through the pain of his loss after drowning while trying to save a family of 5 in a rip tide. A GoFundMe has been established to help his wife and children.  If you need help going through a pain point in life, you may want...

Dave wasn't forced to put together his own office furniture but the circumstances gave him the opportunity to do so.  As others moved some things around the office, Dave, through force of circumstance, had to drink some different coffee this morning.  There's only so many 5-letter words in the English language and  through force of circumstance, sometimes the editors need to pick some obscure words like they did the last couple of days.  Through force of circumstance, Dave...

  If you would like to travel back in time, you don't need to pack, you can just go on Google Earth to see what life was like in the last 20 years around the globe.  We're trying to pack up our offices for the move to our new studios in Riverview but life keeps getting in the way.  Before we got to Dave Barnes, we had to squeeze in our Midweek Praise Break featuring the songs, Worthy Of It All, O Come To The Altar, and Is He Worthy.  Bill shared the story of a woman...

Dave was surprised to learn how a certain breed of dog was responsible for rescuers finding a man. And he was just as surprised as some in the Pittsburgh airport that found a diamond.  Bill will always find a way to play a game on the show. And today, he led us in a game of Bible Trivia Tuesday. One of the questions prompted Carmen to find a sermon that she heard from Robert Madu.  Carmen then found a way to get back at Bill with her 5 Useless Facts Tuesday. She also answered a...

Dave took a quick trip to the BIg Apple to see Chris Tomlin as he performed "Under The Stars" in Central Park. He shared about his experience over the weekend.  Finding the perfect gift for Dave is a tall order for Bill and often comes with a big price tag.  Moving is a big job and we have a lot of "what-nots" lying around the office. As we look to de-clutter, Carmen gave away a replica of a tall ship from for King & Country to a listener and Dave was inspired to do the same.  Joel...

Missing a Gen Z coworker in your office? They're not lost. They are probably just "bathroom camping".  Carmen had a moment this morning when she thought she lost her wedding ring. Turns out, she just left it at home as she was lost in thought with all that is going on at work and home.  Have you ever lost a gemstone in your ring? Bill had that thought recently.  A 19-year-old is on a solo flight mission around the world and almost lost his bid for the achievement when he...

Jules often comes to Bill for words of wisdom but Bill flipped the script today to ask Jules for help on the rules of texting with the younger generations.  There is a lot of wisdom to glean from the Book of Proverbs. And there is just as much to glean from Gospel Friends.  Wisdom comes with age but is it wise to take a bite of a 77-year-old fruit cake?  Carmen's in need of a new Wordle word after she discovered that her starting word wouldn't get her a hole-in-one as it...

Carmen invested in a tool to help measure the humidity in a room as she has limits to what is comfortable in our new  building.  The people of New Mexico are being tested by flash flood waters.  Dave's got a new truck that he had delivered from Carvana. He's now got 7 days to put it to the test to make sure that's the vehicle he wants.  Bill is in agreement with an unpopular opinion to put certain limits on social media access.  If you need to put limits on scrolling,...

Bill picked up a new toy and may need a tin foil hat to go along with it. Carmen was on the fence about it but may need to pay a little more attention.  If you are traveling in the near future, no need to worry about taking off your shoes in line for TSA! And you may want to think about a travel backpack for those quick trips.  Dave's got a new band for you to check out...but they may not be as authentic and genuine as you think.  Bill has some thoughts from theologian...

As the tragic news unfolded over the weekend from the flash flooding in Texas, we saw a lot of good and bad happening. We spent some time throughout the morning sharing thoughts and prayers with those in Texas as they continue rescue efforts despite more bad weather in the forecast.  Dave spent much of his weekend watching coverage of the start of the Tour De France.  Bill and his wife decided to do an at-home workout and watched a YouTube video but Bill didn't tell Kimberly exactly...

As we get ready for Independence Day tomorrow, we talked the economy and some July 4th trivia. Dave then got our attention with a lesson on The Stamp Act and Bill tried to follow that up with a valiant attempt at keeping our attention.  As we prepare to move into our new space, some things require attention to detail and moving an inch at a time.  If Waffle House is part of your morning prep routine, you'll be happy to hear that the egg surcharge is no longer in place.  One...

After hearing about it on social media and others in her circle, Carmen was influenced to join Costco. But she had to wait until yesterday when the date was good and her hair was done.  You might be surprised to learn what country music artist Anne Wilson considers to be her musical influence.  Our Midweek Praise Break is designed to influence the middle of your workweek with a spiritual reset. Today's song choices included Christ Be Magnified, Promises and Trust In God.  If...

Jules heard the story of a man that tried to rescue his dog from a locked public bathroom and shared that she had a similar situation where she was held captive in a bathroom thanks to a faulty door.  And while she had a captive audience with Dave, Bill and Carmen, she pitched them on the idea of playing a version of kickball with a slip n' slide! We can only imagine how many people would end up getting hurt.  Speaking of being hurt, Dave is a litte sore this morning after putting...

If 2025 has felt like climbing a mountain to you, we can officially say that we have reached the peak today and it's all downhill from here! Starting with plans for July 4th this weekend!  Bill's neighbor, Steve, climbed the equivalent of Mount Everest this weekend at the 29029 Everesting event in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this weekend! And he did it with just 3 weeks of training.  Dave's been thinking about getting back on his bike and with the Tour De France starting this weekend,...