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Legendary singer/songwriter, Bill Gaither and the Gaither Vocal Band are bringing the Then Came the Morning Tour 2026 to Southeast Louisiana! For more than a half century, Gaither, a multiple Grammy and Dove award winner, has been a musical trailblazer. His reputation as a performer, songwriter and mentor for newly-discovered artists is known world-wide. His beloved series of Homecoming CDs and DVDs continues to top the sales charts and attract an ever-increasing audience. Taking the stage with the Gaither Vocal Band will be Chris Blue, Ladye Love Smith, Gene McDonald, and Kevin Williams.

WHAT: Then Came the Morning Tour 2026

The Winter Olympics are here! Well, not here. In Italy, but their time has come.

Athleticism and coordination have never been strengths of mine. (I essentially failed every part of the Presidential Physical Fitness tests we were subjected to in school. Fun times.) Maybe that makes me appreciate those competing in the games all the more, though. Imagine if they featured a regular person (or me) in these competitions. That comparison would surely emphasize all the hard work and effort these athletes put in. (Also, comedic relief!)

We watch, we cheer, we are in awe of the accomplishment of nailing a triple axel on the ice or a bobsled team from an island nation winning a medal – but what draws us in most are the stories. What these competitors have had to endure, what they’ve overcome. How people in their lives believed in them and their dreams. Their determination, focus and faith.

You may not be competing for a medal on an international stage, but chances are you’ve had obstacles to overcome, dark days to walk through, opportunities to lean on God and the people He’s placed in your life to remind you of His goodness, to give you hope to cling to.

For Lindsey, that source was LifeSongs. She shares, “When I was going through one of the worst times in my life, LifeSongs was there. LifeSongs ministered to me through the ministry, and I felt Jesus through/in the music, always hearing exactly what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it. I am happy to continue supporting because I know how important this is and if it is a way I can spread God’s word, then it is my mission to do that!”

Because YOU gave, God used LifeSongs to help Lindsey through one of the biggest challenges in her life. It has inspired her to spread God’s word! If LifeSongs had medals of gratitude to award, you’d be at the top of that podium. Thank you for sharing the Hope of Jesus by giving.

Libby Kayla & Julie at the LifeSongs Studios

Libby chatted with Kayla Bertucci about King Cake Snob (KingCakeSnob.com) – your official place to rank the best King Cakes (and the worst)!

This year King Cake Snob has some new categories: Savory King Cakes, Donuts & the Rising Star.

Catch up with Kayla and start ranking your favorites today!

Rate a cake – find a cake – For once, it’s ok to be a SNOB!

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)

God is good all the time. Hey, I’m Libby. Thanks for hanging out with me on Life Songs today.

And I have more company joined by Kayla Bertucci with King Cake Snob, which is not so snobby. It’s just an online king cake ranker, right? King Cake Ranker. So tell us a little bit about how that came to be.

Sure. No, I’m so excited to be here. So 11 years ago, we were having that age old debate.

Who has the best king cake? I feel like every company, wherever you work, family members, it’s a debate, right? There’s different flavors out there. And we said, you know what? Let’s create an online ranker where people can go on and show a lot of love to their favorite bakeries and to their favorite flavors. So 11 years later, here we are, King Cake Snob, where it’s still everyone’s favorite place to go and vote.

I love it. I don’t remember there being such variety and so many bakeries and so many flavors. Am I just like misremembering this? Has it kind of grown in the past few years? Oh, no, I think it’s definitely grown.

And we’ve been able to see that. Everything from the larger names that, you know, like Kaluta’s or Randazzo’s or Haydell’s to some of the smaller ones that are popping up, I think a Bywater bakery and a few other ones that have popped up over the years as like these front runners, right? That everyone’s talking about. I think it’s so unique now that you get to try a variety of king cakes from the big dogs to the smaller bakeries and everything in between.

And it’s such a way to celebrate tradition here in Louisiana. Yeah, agreed. I think I am a traditional, like I said, because I grew up with like, you know, the really dry cinnamon, you know, just like some sprinkles on top.

That’s still kind of my go-to. I like the dry cinnamon. I like how you keep describing it as dry.

I know. Isn’t that terrible? If it tastes like a donut and it’s like not gooey, then that’s what you like. Okay.

To each their own is all I have to say about that. What do you think it takes to be a king cake snob? You said you are one. I think I’m a king cake snob.

I think you try three or more. It’s either on your desk or you’re going to purchase them. I think if you’re a king cake snob, you’re voting at kingcakesnob.com. Of course.

And I think you’re, you know, dreaming about them. You’re driving, you’re waiting in line. I think king cake snobs really consider king cake a big part of the Mardi Gras and carnival season.

And there always will be a ton of traditional and filled king cakes that you can vote on. So I would encourage everyone to go do that if you have a favorite. But this year we added three new categories.

We have the donut category. There’s so many king cakes that are fried. So we want to know what’s your favorite.

Love it. Then there’s the savory king cakes. We have tons of savory king cakes that have been posted online and shared.

We want to know, is it a sushi king cake? I mean, what is your favorite savory king cake of the season? Is it a crawfish king cake? And then we have the rising star. We want to know in the past three to four years, what bakery has really caught your attention? What’s delicious? And what do you want us to know about? Sometimes maybe the big dogs kind of rise on the leaderboards. We want to give a shout out to the rising star this year.

I love that. All right. So kingcakesnob.com is where you can go and cast your vote for your favorite king cake, your favorite categories, all of the things.

When we had king cake Fridays growing up in school, I remember thinking like, oh my gosh, I hope I get the baby. I hope I get the baby. And then panicking.

What if I get the baby? What if I get the baby? Then it’s on me to bring the king cake. And what if they don’t like it? What if my mom forgets? It was a lot of pressure. It’s so much pressure.

But you just reminded me, I do have some fun Mardi Gras questions for you. Oh good. Specifically king cake questions.

Oh boy. I’m getting asked the questions? You are. You’re on the spot.

It’s your turn. Okay. Okay.

Would you prefer filled or traditional? I think we’ve established. Dry. Dry.

She likes a dry one. Keep it out on the counter for a couple of weeks. She’s going to love it.

It’s a toothbreaker. That’s my style. Is king cake a breakfast food? Absolutely.

Yeah. 100%. So good with coffee.

Oh my gosh. It’s the best with coffee. I think that’s why I like the dry.

It’s, you know, it makes the coffee taste even better. You can just dip it in the coffee to moisten it a little bit. I actually do.

I can’t with the dry. Okay. Do you prefer at the parade, sidewalk, side, or neutral ground? Sidewalk.

100%. Okay. There we go.

This is a really important one. Knife inside the box or out? Inside. That’s just a ritual.

Who leaves it out of the box? I don’t know. I don’t know because recently I feel like it gets so messy that I can’t stand touching, you know, like the filling or something. I’m like, I’m ooey gooey my hands.

Once again, the dry comes in clutch. If you don’t have a gooey king cake, it doesn’t get as messy. You need a really sharp bread knife for your king cake.

It’s true. You may not be able to slice it, but it won’t get messy. But it won’t get messy.

Oh my goodness. Okay. This is the last one.

Okay. True or false? Have you ever put the king cake baby back so you would not have to buy the next one? I think we’ve established the level of anxiety I feel when it comes to purchasing the next king cake. So I will admit, I’m not proud of this, but yes, 100%.

I absolutely have done that. I knew it. I feel like it’s so true.

But you know what? When it happens, it’s usually with someone who’s never had king cake before or like, I want them to have the experience. The joy of picking the next one out. Getting the baby.

You know, it’s kind of a novelty thing. So I have very limited times. I don’t make the habit of that.

But yes, unfortunately I have done that. You’ve done it. I feel like I would be more prone to do it if I just bought the last one and I got the baby twice.

Like that doesn’t seem fair. Yeah. It’s true.

To have to go purchase two. So I would have to agree. I think I’ve done it a time or two myself.

Okay. So as a king cake snob, let me ask you this. You try so many of them.

You know, the ones that you would gravitate to for you, but like for your girls for school, if they got the baby, would you get a different one thinking of like three and four year old pallets at school? Or would you try to give them one of the ones that you love? Like, you know, a crawfish savory king cake probably wouldn’t go for as well. No, I would definitely give a sweet one. And I feel like they don’t care as long as it’s sugar, right? So I feel like the pressure wouldn’t be on.

I think it’d be more on as an adult bringing it to the office or a family party or an event. But no, I think I would just grab anything sweet. And actually king cake snob over the years, we realized that people don’t know where the king cakes are.

They’re not just in the bakeries. They could be in your favorite store, a gas station. So we have a king cake tracker.

If you go on our website, you can find maybe, okay, a Chevron is near me. What kind of king cakes do they have? And so it also gives families easy way to grab some when they have to grab the next one by going to kingcakesnob.com. Oh, Kayla, thank you so much for joining us today. Now I just got to go get one or 10 slices of king cake.

Thank you so much for having me. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite king cakes all season long at kingcakesnob.com.

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai.)

If you had to use just three words to describe your January, what would they be? “Long, dark, cold.” “King cake time!” Or maybe “fresh new start?” (More than likely, it was all of the above.)

There’s just something about the start of a new year that has us naturally reflective and motivated. We’ve got a fresh resolve to try new things, eliminate some that haven’t worked, and focus on healthier habits in our lives. Writing in that prayer journal, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, opting for a slightly smaller slice of king cake – making even small changes can have bigger, lasting impacts.

That’s the idea behind LifeSongs’ Be Kind Bingo, too. You never know how a simple act of kindness might brighten someone’s day and have a ripple effect of HOPE in our world. It’s a fun way to make a difference in our community together as we love God and love our neighbors.

Rick shares, “Thank you brothers and sisters for sharing your heart for God throughout the year. You make it easier to be content in all situations and stay focused on Jesus through all trials and tribulations. As we move spaces through another calendar, may it always be one space closer to God and filled with more and more people doing His will on earth, as it is in heaven. We CAN and WILL do all things through Him! Thank you all for continuing to keep us focused and encouraged throughout the year.”

Would you join Rick and your LifeSongs family in sharing kindness and encouragement in 2026? Together, we can make a difference this year!

Some New Years celebrations arrive with fireworks and high hopes: this is gonna be THE year! Other times, New Years arrives and we find ourselves looking around, hesitant to declare any sort of triumph because, honestly, we’ve been burned.

We’ve purchased gym memberships that went unused.

Can I offer some New Years’ advice? Don’t be afraid to declare your goals. Don’t let a hard fought past decide your hope-filled future. One of the great gifts of God is changing seasons and celebrations (the Bible is FILLED with them). We can go from wandering in the desert to living in the Promised Land at any moment!

Every new year/week/day is an opportunity to live for God’s Kingdom – to become who He is shaping us to be and experience God’s great Mercy. So make those plans and goals and hopes and dreams! Trust that no matter what happens, God has a plan, and that plan includes YOU in His Kingdom.

And thank you so much for living that faithful, hopeful life with LifeSongs. Together we can bring encouragement and hope to countless lives, yours and mine included

Happy New Year!

We hope your Christmas was filled with incredible joy, celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior!

As the year rapidly comes to a close, this is a wonderful time to reflect on the blessings of 2025 and look forward to the opportunities of the new year. LifeSongs is grateful for your partnership, which allows us to share Jesus with Southeast Louisiana every single day.

Your financial gift makes an incredible difference to this ministry! And since LifeSongs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, your year-end gift is tax-deductible for 2025—but you must act before midnight on December 31st.

While the holidays are a time of joy for us, many are still searching for hope. Every song we play and every message we share is an opportunity to point them to Jesus. Thank you for making that possible. Each person God reaches through LifeSongs is because of you!

Karen said, “My radio stays on 24 hours a day in the house, in the kitchen. And I love the fact that when I wake up in the middle of the night and I hear the song that’s playing, I just love that. It’s just so much peace that flows through this house. And I know, it’s because of LifeSongs.”

If you are not currently a monthly donor, we encourage you to start the new year with a resolution to give monthly in 2026. Your recurring monthly gift allows us to consistently pursue our mission: “Sharing God’s love with Southeast Louisiana through authentic and uplifting radio.”

We are so blessed by your partnership. Your giving is what makes LifeSongs possible, and we are incredibly thankful that you choose to stand with this ministry as we head into an exciting new year.

To claim your tax deduction for 2025, your gift must be postmarked or completed at LifeSongs.com by midnight, December 31st. Your support now ensures we can hit the ground running in 2026!

The Christmas season is here! Is there a gift you received in your lifetime that you will always treasure? Maybe it’s something you got as a child, or something a loved one made for you. Perhaps it’s not something tangible, but something someone did for you or time they spent with you. There’s always a story behind a meaningful gift. What’s yours?

I can think of many that stand out over the years. A hard to find toy I didn’t think anyone knew I wanted. Homemade pottery from a relative. Someone giving the gift of their time – it may feel like a small gesture, but it can mean the world to someone who needs it.

Thanksgiving the day may be over, but a season of thanks & giving continues. As we reflect on the many things we have to be grateful for (and those memorable gifts we still treasure), let’s embrace a spirit of giving. You never know – your gift could be the one someone never forgets.

Breann recently shared with us, “I grew up in a small town in Canada and my family stumbled across your radio station, and it’s been our go-to station ever since. After my husband and I got married, we had a season of baby loss – it was an incredibly difficult time in our lives. In the darkest moments when I felt so broken, I would turn on your station and even though I was in pain, it uplifted my soul the only way that a Christian community can. I would cry and sing and just praise through it all. Our rainbow baby is just over 6 months old now and I want to thank LifeSongs for helping me to carry on through that season. The grief is still there but I know LifeSongs is just a click away in the times of celebration and also the times of pain. Thank you.”

Thank you so much for your generous gifts to LifeSongs. You are the reason LifeSongs was there for Breann when she needed it most. So many of us need a message of hope. As we celebrate this season with Christmas music on LifeSongs, our prayer is that anyone who stumbles across these familiar holiday songs would find the true thrill of HOPE: Jesus.

We wish you a merry Christmas and may you treasure the greatest gift ever given, our Savior.

I’m so thankful for the friendship and partnership we have with Global Maritime Ministries!

On Giving BACK Tuesday (The National Day of Giving #givingtuesday) we teamed up with the Port Ministry to give out Christmas treats and goodies to the truckers working the Port of New Orleans and it was such a joyful experience! We danced to Christmas music on LifeSongs to keep warm as we shared hot chocolate and coffee and cookies and presents with the hard working truck drivers.

It was the most Christmassy thing I can remember doing in recent years. I hope and pray you get to experience that real joy of Christmas this year – through giving and serving and loving well. And while Christmas music only lasts through December 25th, that spirit of love is alive and well all year long on LifeSongs! That’s because of your generous giving.

And we are so very thankful.

We got to shake hands, fist bump and hug nearly a hundred truck drivers and share stories while chugging lots of hot cocoa. The men and women who keep goods flowing in and out of the Port of New Orleans literally make our modern lives possible. And they were so kind and excited to celebrate Christmas with us on a blustery December Tuesday.

Our friends at Global Maritime Ministries work all year long with Port workers, and the men and women who serve aboard the ships that flow in and out of New Orleans and other locations in Southeast Louisiana. They share the Gospel and the love of Jesus every day to folks who are far from home – folks who then take the seed of the Gospel with them around the world! Be in prayer for those efforts and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to see how the Good News is changing lives at sea!

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Mmmmm…I can almost smell the cornbread dressing and the pecan pie already. Thanksgiving is almost here! I love this opportunity to sit down together and connect over a family meal. Putting phones away and welcoming friends and family to the table is something I count as a blessing. Even though there may be awkward moments or tension, food allergies or burnt pie crusts, there are also stories to share and laughs to be had together. And the food!

While it can be tempting to give in to frustration or focus on what we lack, I want to encourage you to look through a lens of gratitude. We have so much to be thankful for! We are blessed by a God who loves us. That is reason alone to be grateful. 1 Chronicles 16:34 reminds us to “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever!” One way we can express our gratitude is through our actions. With a thankful heart, let’s extend this great love to others. Invite them to your table. Choose forgiveness. Be kind and encouraging. Bring joy to others. Let someone know how much you appreciate them and why. Be a generous listener. Look for opportunities to share the HOPE we have in Jesus.

In fact, we’ve got one way you can do just that, coming up Thanksgiving evening at 8pm! That’s when LifeSongs becomes your Christmas soundtrack. Why Christmas music? There are so many people searching. Looking for connection, for comfort, for hope. Our prayer is that those who may stumble upon LifeSongs and hear a familiar holiday tune would find the true “thrill of HOPE” in our only source, and in the reason we have to celebrate: Jesus. Please pray for them, invite them to the table, and that they stick around, even after Christmas, to continue hearing messages of good news and great joy on LifeSongs.

Christmas may be a rare season that has its own soundtrack, but there are so many songs of gratitude and thanks that might be perfect to incorporate around your Thanksgiving table! Here are a few of my favorites:

Happy Thanksgiving! My heart is full of gratitude for you. Now, pass those sweet potatoes!

Josh got to meet/chat with Patrick Mayberry on the LifeSongs Morning Show. This Tennessee native is an incredible and humble worship leader with some exceptional new music! Give the podcast a listen to be super encouraged… and wowed by Patrick’s ability to lie directly to Josh’s face. #maybeitsMayberry