It was a fabulous Friday before Friendraiser starts next Tuesday on The Morning Cruise! 

00:32 Friendraiser - Note from widow and challenge 

03:42 Burgers on the lunch menu yesterday 

05:49 Victorian Slang Friday 

09:30 Victorian Slang Friday results 

12:06 Friendraiser - 67 gifts so far! 

14:55 Mac Neo 

18:41 Clip from Iranian Pastor 

25:11 Friendraiser 

28:51 Peachey's Donut Taste Test 

31:52 Peachey's Donut Taste Test Ratings 

35:48 Friendraiser - 137 so far! 

39:03 text on donuts and 1 more needed with one song to go

41:31 challenge results and Bill's BIG Word

Some items that have marked American History are hitting the road. Bill told us all about the documents that will be hitting cities like Atlanta this year. Dave marked the bicentennial with the purchase of some syrup bottles. 

Carmen has been marked after her experience in our latest video to hit social media. 

The Brady Bunch house is finally getting landmark status.

The Golden Arches are a landmark for some people in need of a bite to eat. And when you stop there, you can now try their Big Arch burger. But will your reaction be like the CEO of McDonald's who had a taste test video go viral for the wrong reasons. Or will you be like other fast food CEO's? 

What local burger joint would you mark down as the best in your area? We asked that question and got a wide variety of answers. 

Gen Z workers have been marked by some employers as hard to work with and many are letting go of employees in that generation. Dave was reminded of some lessons that marked Tom Hanks early in his career. 

We'll be marking down a lot of names and numbers next week for Friendraiser. One of those names, you'll hear quite a bit as John Travis Financial Advisors, sponsors of our First Day Giveaway. 

Did you hear it? There's a new song from a brand new artist who we recently had the chance to meet. We think you'll be hearing a lot more of Carly Ann Taylor. 

00:32 Freedom Plane 

04:18 Dave's syrup bottles 

08:08 "Content" day video 

10:53 Video reactions and texts 

13:46 Friendraiser 

18:10 Brady Bunch house gets landmark status 

22:21 McDonald's Big Arch burger and social media wars 

29:33 best burgers texts/ call from Jesse in CSRA 

32:20 Friendraiser and more burger suggestions 

36:11 Gen Z Workers 

43:28 Lessons from Tom Hanks 

46:00 Friendraiser and John Travis 

49:02 Carly Ann Taylor/ 7 more needed 

51:22 Bill's BIG Word

We had so much fun yesterday with your help towards the running start that we wanted to see if we could do it again. But, this time, we put the challenge out for Carmen's Crewe members. 

Want a day of rest? You might want to do what is now being referred to as "French Sunday". Just add church to your Sunday!

Dave, Bill and Carmen took a trip to the Plant City Strawberry Festival for Lauren Daigle's concert last night. They would do it again, especially for the doughnuts, but not the Ferris Wheel. 

It is Wednesday, so that means it is time once again for the Midweek Praise Break! This week's songs were I Thank God, Worthy Of It All and Trust In God. 

If you don't want to miss it again, turn on the notifcations on The JOY FM app. 

Carmen was asked to share the story of Mohair's name again for those that might have missed it before. 

Wanna see Little House On The Prairie again? There's a reboot coming later this year! 

And with the success of I Can Only Imagine 2 in theatres, we thought we would once again share what Andy Erwin told our entertainment contributor, Carley Boyette, about the origin story of making these movies. 

00:32 Carmen's Crewe Story 

07:26 Help us with Carmen's Crewe 

09:17 French Sunday 

13:09 Carmen's Crewe update

16:08 Ferris Wheel and Peachey's Donuts 

24:57 More on the Plant City Strawberry Festival 

26:58 Midweek Praise Break - I Thank God/ Worthy Of It All/ Trust In God 

28:30 The JOY FM app  (Turn On Notifications) 

30:43 Carmen's Crewe update 

35:36 Story behind Mohair's name 

41:11 Little House on the Prairie Reboot 

44:02 Andy Erwin I Can Only Imagine 2 Red Carpet Interview Clip 

48:35 Bill's BIG Word

The light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger and brighter as we are now 1 week away from Friendraiser! As we get ready, we've heard an encouraging word from a listener who credits the station for helping them convert from Islam. It reminded Dave of a speaker at his church who spoke of Egyptian missionary conversions. 

As we shed more light on the situation in Iran, we took the time to pray for the Iranian church and the military involved in the conflict. 

Carmen put the challenge out to you that if we got 101 gifts this morning, she would give away 5 camo hats. 

Did you see the light of the blood moon this morning? Dave and Bill caught it but failed to enlighten Carmen about it. 

Y'all made light work of Carmen's challenge and so she did it again and said if we got to 202 for the morning, she would give away another 5 hats. 

Bill told us about the "ghostlighting" trend in modern dating. And we had some lighthearted fun with Dave and dating scenarios. 

It was lights, cameras, action around here for Candice as she got a chance at redemption in a sequel to last year's running video. 

Bill and his wife are taking a slower pace as they see the benefits of a 3 mph walk with Jesus. 

As we got towards the end of the show, Carmen had a special song request and an update on our goal of 202 gifts this morning. 

That put a new fire into the gifts we received and we not only met our goal but exceeded it and for that we have a lot of gratitude. 

00:32 Letter from Muslim Convert 

04:28 Egyptian missionary conversions 

07:48 Prayer for Iranian Church 

14:38 Praying for military, etc.. 

18:44 Friendraiser: 101 gifts today? 

23:43 Pt. 2: Which room? 

26:23 Lunar Eclipse 

30:09 Friendraiser hats 

33:26 Ghostlighting 

37:55 Dave Dating Scenarios 

43:17 Candice Running Redemption video 

46:33 3 mph walk with Jesus for Bill and Kimberly 

52:39 I Know A Name request/ 15 more to go to 202! 

57:00 Gratitude for 215! 

Hard to believe it's already the third month of 2026. And now that  we're in a March, Carmen has a new color of Stanley to fill up every morning. 

It's not too late to fill in the details on the expected food trends of 2026. 

Bill fills us in on the details on the situation in Iran and encourages us to pray for the church. 

Carmen filled her weekend with Jesus. She shared some of what she learned from her time as well. 

Dave loves the details and he shared one detail that occurs twice with Peter that got him thinking. 

Tomorrow marks one week until Friendraiser 2026. We've got a lot of details to cover including some numbers to share. 

One restaurant offered up an 80-year-old man the chance to fill his plate with free oysters. The catch - he had to bring his 99-year-old dad with him. 

Carmen's birthday dinner over the weekend had her filling up on Pimento Cheese Grits. 

Bill shared that he attended 2 memorial services recently and just how much it matters to be in the details of someone's life, not just the bookends. 

Dave pulled back the curtain to fill us in on why he struggles with affirmations. 

There's a few details that make the difference between commercial and noncommercial radio. And it can make someone nervous to make the switch. Dave and Carmen both shared how they went from working in commercial radio and their hesitations when they started in noncommercial radio with The JOY FM. 

Bill wanted to be filled in on the progress that Carmen has or hasn't made with The Chosen and Theo of Golden. 

00:32 March and Green Stanley 

03:07 Food Trends 2026 

06:53 Iran - Pray For Church 

09:41 Carmen's Jesus Weekend 

14:16 Charcoal fire and Peter 

18:04 Galatians 4:4-7 

22:43 Friendraiser 

25:21 Numbers of Friendraiser 

28:17 Free Oysters for 80-year-old 

32:13 Pimento Cheese Grits at Steelbach 

36:31 be there for the middle, not just the bookends of life 

42:01 Dave's struggle with affirmations 

46:14 Friendraiser - commercial vs noncommercial 

51:49 Progress reports - The Chosen/ Theo Of Golden 

54:47 Bill's BIG Word

It's Carmen's birthday today and what did she want? Your help with Friendraiser's running start! 

We also met Terrian this morning as she joined us this morning. We spent some time getting to know her and the stories behind her songs. 

00:32 Friendraiser 

03:56 Friendraiser listener emails 

06:33 Blood Moon and Worm Moon 

09:53 Jeff Galloway/ Carmen's Running Career and Birthday 

15:43 Barrel Leg Jeans? 

20:22 Barrel Leg Jeans responses 

22:45 The World and Everything In It Podcast 

26:00 87 gifts and counting for Friendraiser 

29:53 Terrian - Honestly, We Just Need Jesus 

34:38 Terrian - American Idol/ Diverse City/ Big God 

39:44 Terrian's Faith Walk/ Hot Minute/ CeCe and Testimony 

47:31 Terrian Angelstreet Memphis and Gen Z revival 

One guy stepped out on social media to share his perspective on Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches and was met with a lot backlash. He claimed it was only meant for kids. But a lot of adults disagreed and shared their thoughts. The folks at Uncrustables would probably have some thoughts as they've got a few changes coming to their product. 

Stepping outside and going for a walk can have a ton of benefits. Apparently, stepping out to go birding can have benefits as well. 

Carmen stepped out of her comfort zone to share some big words she wasn't familiar with and was surprised that Dave and Bill knew them quite well. 

Bill shared some insight from a psychiatrist about the "rooms" we go to to gain perspective. As it comes closer to Friendraiser, Bill stepped into the "show me how" room. 

Bill also shared the Parable of the Seeds to give us some perspective on our hearts being good soil. 

Dave stepped out of his comfort zone to share some fashion news on the color for spring. 

If you came with a warning label, what would it say? That's the question that BIll posed in "Roast Yourself Thursday" and it gives us some perspective on how Dave, Bill and Carmen think of each other and themselves. 

Protein will help with gains in the gym and elsewhere. Carmen has some protein shake options for you. While Dave would prefer some malted milkshakes. 

00:32 PB&J love and controversy 

05:03 Uncrustables changes 

07:11 Benefits of walking 

11:06 Benefits of birding 

14:25 Carmen's Bigger Word 

18:52 Friendraiser: Bigger Room? 

23:51 Parable of the Seeds 

27:47 Spring Color - Cobalt Blue 

30:41 Roast Yourself Thursday 

32:46 If You Came With A Warning Label, What Would It Say? 

36:46 Protein Shake Options 

40:32 Malted Milk 

43:34 Bill's BIG Word 

We got things going this morning with our Midweek Praise Break, 3 songs chosen to fill you with the Holy Spirit and help you get through the middle of your wee k. This week's songs included Battle Belongs, Firm Foundation and Gratitude. 

Bill turned to Matthew 6 to fill your mind with gratitude heading into your day. 

We're less than 2 weeks away from Friendraiser and we need your help to fill the tank to help us with a "rocket" start! 

After the Midweek Praise Break, we got a text from a grateful mom that filled our hearts with joy. 

Chick-fil-A is testing new menu items that we can't wait to get our fill of. 

Carmen got her fill of Brussels Sprouts at a restaurant in Charlotte during ChosenCon. Now she's on the hunt for a copycat recipe. 

Coffee is a staple around here. Filling your cup with a brew using the paper filter method can impact your cholestrol. 

Mohair got her fill of Chosen merch at ChosenCon and you can see her merch haul on a couple of videos on social media. 

Get your fill of Phil...Wickham and his song, Running To A Runaway! 

If you grew up on Reading Rainbow, you can get your fill with a new version that will be a 24-episode season on streaming services. It has a new host and it got us to talking about retirement. When we've had our fill of doing the show, how should it live on after we're done? 

Have you filled out your Music Insider survey recently? Dave heard from one of our music insiders recently and it got him to thinking about how much we've grown but are still 'rooted'. 

Mohair certainly had her fill of Chosen at ChosenCon. As someone who deals with MS, she pushed through and was a trooper with all the happenings around her favorite show. 

00:32 Midweek Praise Break - Battle Belongs/ Firm Foundation/ Gratitude

02:33 Matthew 6 

03:57 Friendraiser 

07:41 Text from mom of 13-year-old 

08:58 Chick-fil-A testing new items 

14:06 Copycat Brussels Sprouts Recipe 

18:08 Coffee and Cholestrol 

21:41 Mohair's ChosenCon Haul videos 

24:27 Phil Wickham - Running To A Runaway 

26:29 reaction to the song 

28:07 Reading Rainbow and retirement 

32:06 Friendraiser: Rooted 

39:09 Mohair after ChosenCon 

42:28 Bill's BIG Word

There's a lot you can do to help us with a "rocket" start for Friendraiser! But just as much as we need help with a rocket start, it seems there's a helium problem that is preventing Artemis from taking off. 

Carmen and Bill have enjoyed their reading of Theo Of Golden thus far. All that praise has Dave pondering if he can pick up the book as well despite all his other reading for his book narration. 

With the winter weather in the Northeast, it caused a historic first in that The Boston Globe could not print for the first time in 153 years! 

Carmen saw Matthew West on TV sharing a story that she wanted us to revisit. It was a great illustration of what we can do when we only listen for his voice! 

When you can, go take the 13 minutes (not 2 like Dave thought it was) to watch the Oscar-nominated short film, FOREVERGREEN. 

He's got a can-do attitude and it's his birthday! We pulled Hitch in the studio to celebrate him. 

Bill can't seem to find a way to peel hard-boiled eggs that works for him so he asked for more suggestions. 

00:32 Friendraiser Rocket Start 

04:16 Helium problem with Artemis 

06:56 Theo Of Golden 

11:47 Dave's books 

15:55 Blizzards and Newspapers 

20:20 Let's revisit Matthew West clip 

22:15 Matthew West - Lulu's Trust Walk 

29:28 reaction to the story 

32:45 Forevergreen Short Film 

35:31 Still watching... 

36:44 Friendraiser 2 weeks away 

40:25 Hitch Birthday Blessings 

44:45 Bill's Hard Boiled Egg Problem 

50:10 His best solution 

51:10 Bill's BIG Word

Paige Brown's BIble Study on "Scenes From The Final Week" is a great example of what is happening in Season 5 of The Chosen. A season some of us are catching up on now that Dave, Bill and Carmen (and Mohair) are back from ChosenCon. 

The U.S. Hockey teams (men's and women's are bringing some shiny new gold medals home after both teams beat their Canadian opponents. On the Canadian side, they've got some shiny new silver medals and a stuffed animal to pack in their suitcases. 

There are so many highlights from ChosenCon as Mohair got to meet some of her favorite people involved with the show. And Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in the series, is a shining example of what it means to be Christ like. 

Like a big shiny object, Friendraiser is just over 2 weeks away and its getting our attention as it gets closer! 

Dave heard Bill's plight for a western-themed outfit and offered up one of his hats to wear as an example of western wear. Bill was a little hesitant to accept the offer. 

Bill and his wife walked into Costco over the weekend and became members. Not only did they walk out with a shiny new membership card, but much more in their cart than they anticipated. 

Jake joined us to share about his time at ChosenCon and the highlights for him included a Michelin star meal. 

Alysa Liu, a gold-medal winning figure skater, is a great example of a winner as she did not set out to solely win the top prize. 

After hearing how close we are to Friendraiser, Jake suggested we didn't just need a running start but a rocket start. We put the challenge to you to see if you could be like a shiny rocket. 

00:32 Paige Brown "Invitation" 

04:27 The Chosen catchups 

07:47 Olympics Hockey Gold 

12:30 Stuffed Stoats 

15:46 ChosenCon Highlights 

21:24 Mohair Meets "Jesus" 

30:44 Friendraiser 

35:23 Dave's Hat for Bill to try 

39:54 Martins are now Costco members 

43:00 Jake's time at ChosenCon 

51:00 Alysa Liu 

56:06 A 'rocket' start for Friendraiser 

1:01:05 rocket start update 

1:03:04 Bill's BIG Word