It warmed our hearts to have Hope Darst as our guest yesterday on the show and glad she could make it despite the ice storm in Tennessee. We reshared much of that conversation on the show this morning, and you can hear the entire chat on themorningcruise.com

Bill shared a proud moment with his son. 

Dave and Carmen are a little concerned with what to do now that they'll be without football. Bill suggested they take up interest in some outdoor hockey action with this weekend's Stadium Series game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium. 

The cold weather coming in this weekend is the perfect time for hot chocolate and taco soup (in separate containers!). 

Carmen was a bit concerned earlier this week with what she would be getting to replace her Oura ring. But it warmed her heart to see them come through with good customer service. 

Bill played a little game with Dave and Carmen that he had wanted to play with Hope Darst. While it was lighthearted at first, he had a question that hit at the heart of our relationships with God. 

00:32 Hope Darst chat on themorningcruise.com 

02:41 Proud of Grady 

04:34 Football Drought 

07:25 Lightning Stadium Series Game 

09:31 Hot Chocolate and Taco Soup 

11:24 Carmen's Replacement Ring 

14:06 Hope and Dreams 1 

16:56 Hope and Dreams 2 

21:12 Bill's BIG Word

Hope Darst joined Dave, Bill and Carmen on the show today to catch up on life. But, before she got here, we talked Tiktok fonts, a new read for Carmen, wintry weather, and the upcoming launch of the Artemis astronauts. 

00:32 Tiktok Yellow Font Theory 

03:27 Theo of Golden 

06:20 texts on Theo of Golden

07:34 Hope Darst on the way 

09:06 wintry weather 

12:36 Astronauts in quarantine 

16:37 launch window 

18:41 Hope Darst - made it despite the ice storm 

22:08 Behind the song, Peace Be Still 

28:20 Behind the song, Mighty Name of Jesus 

31:13 Lessons from 20 years of marriage 

41:53 The Jetsons/ Beef Stroganoff/ Blue Bell Protein Ice Cream 

49:46 Hope on The Holy Spirit 

58:13 more versions to come of Mighty Name of Jesus

Grief is a process that can last awhile and often requires patience. Dave shared a vulnerable moment on the show today as he is getting closer to the 1-year anniversary of his wife’s passing. Often times, songs (and sometimes, grits!) can help the grieving process. And good worship songs like the ones in today’s Midweek Praise Break (Holy Forever, Worthy Of It All, and Agnus Dei) can help us through a multitude of situations in our lives.

Other conversations from today’s show might have you saying, “Good grief!”

Like the 2-ingredient cheesecake recipe that Carmen wants to try but will not be following the recipe as recommended. Or you might be in agreement with her over the frustrations of having to get a replacement for her Oura ring.

00:32 Carmen and the 2-ingredient cheesecake 

03:56 RaRa, Reading and Roasting 

06:53 Quinton Aaron hospitalized 

08:41 More winter weather weekend 

12:33 Dave's real talk - 3 weeks till 1-year anniversary 

15:46 Grief - songs and grits speaking to the heart 

18:30 Midweek Praise Break - Holy Forever, Worthy Of It All, and Agnus Dei 

20:26 Prayer Line 

21:45 Carmen's Oura Ring 

27:21 Sleep scores 

29:34 Praying for Patience 

32:25 Dave on praying for patience 

33:51 Beth Moore Bible Studies 

38:08 Tiktok and Biscuits 

44:01 Bill's BIG Word

What's on our radar lately? Carmen heard a rumor that Barbara Streisand wasn't a fan of Brandon Lake. Turns out, that's fake news! The temps are definitely on our radar as Florida experiences colder weather. 

Week 2 of Paige Brown's Winter 2026 Bible Study on Scenes From The Final Week has a few lessons to discern. 

Dave has all the details on the first episode of the new season of American Idol. 

Sadie Huff will be coming to our area soon. 

As of today, Southwest no longer has their first come, first serve seating policy and now there are more fees. 

Carmen has become a fan of @CourtneyCooksInsta. 

And Bill needs some counseling on how to talk to his wife about the types of coffee they buy. 

00:32 Brandon Lake and Barbara Streisand 

05:08 Temps and Frozen Trees 

08:01 Paige Brown - where is home base? 

13:48 Repentance 

15:46 American Idol new season has started 

24:21 Sadie Huff upcoming shows 

26:12 Southwest seating changes today 

29:53 booking costs more 

31:36 @CourtneyCookInsta

38:03 more on Courtney 

39:01 Counseling needed for Dollar Tree Coffee 

45:03 what to say 

47:58 Bill's BIG Word

The wacky winter weather was the big story over the weekend as much of our listening area was impacted. We talked through some of the impact that many of you felt as well as a town in Alaska seeing the sunrise for the first time in more than 60 days! 

The weather played a role in this weekend's NFL playoff games and now the stage is set for the Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. 

Dave and Carmen weathered it through Bill's efforts to tie in poetry and football. 

While it wasn't the same weather system, weather did delay the Netflix Live event of Alex Honnold climping a 101-story skyscraper in Taiwan. 

If you want to add a little something hot to your palate in this cold weather, Hot Honey is having a moment as McDonald's adds it to their menus. 

And Bill often finds himself a bit weathered due to a lack of sleep. Carmen tried to offer an intervention of sorts for him this morning. 

00:32 Wacky Winter Weather Weekend 

04:00 Sunrise in Alaska 

07:02 Weather details from the weekend 

14:28 Super Bowl is set 

17:50 Poetry and Football 

21:48 Alex Honnold Skyscraper climb 

26:32 His climbing records 

29:57 Freezing weather updates 

33:21 Ice Texts 

34:50 Hot Honey 

38:19 Blocked kick/ snow @ Patriots vs Broncos 

42:19 Sleep study and intervention 

46:45 Time audit and margins 

53:30 Bill's BIG Word 

Today's episode of The Morning Cruise Replay will have you cheesing! 

Bill, the lactose-intolerant one, got us started chatting about cheese. But Carmen is more in the mood for chili. Dave wants a combination of the 2 in some form or fashion.

The weather this weekend could be dangerous for many in our listening area as a winter storm approaches. 

Bill gave us the details on the 2026 March for Life. 

The third installment of Miracle On Your Street might have you cheesing or it may bring tears. 

Carmen saw a Tiktok trend involving a sweet potato and a block of Butterkasse cheese that she wants to try. 

Bill brought a cheesy game called Steal My Punchline to the show. 

And before we wrapped the show, Carmen wanted to hear from new listeners in the Augusta (CSRA) area. 

00:32 Bill gets cheesy 

03:19 Carmen wants chili 

05:36 Ice Storm news 

08:20 prepping for first winter storm 

11:51 2026 March For Life 

15:19 Miracle On Your Street next 

15:51 Miracle On Your Street #3 - Ben and Jennifer 

20:27 more to come on Monday 

22:02 Tiktok trend - Sweet potato with butterkasse cheese 

26:18 What is butterkasse 

29:43 Steal My Punchline 

32:02 Round 2 

34:57 let's hear from new listeners in Augusta 

38:09 texts from the CSRA 

40:21 more texts and Bill's BIG Word

Carmen wasn't keeping up with her sports schedule when she needed to reschedule a meeting and now she's got a meeting to host while the Super Bowl is happening. The whole reason the meeting was rescheduled is because of the winter storms headed to much of our listening area over the next few days. 

Dave's grandson loves Phil Wickham and was astounded to see photos of Dave with Phil. Those photos were from the last time we visited with him and he told us a hilarious story about his proposal to his wife. 

Carmen keeps a running list of words she's not familiar with and brings them to the show from time to time. And we all got an education on Sumac today! 

A few of us around the office are dealing with illness. Bill keeps up with medical journeys and told us about the importance of the interferon protein. And one way many of us have been keeping the illness at bay is with bee propolis. 

With so much to access in our hands, we can keep up with just about anything. But keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus is vital as the eye is the lamp. 

Sadie Robertson Huff has a lot going on and many of you keep up with her on social media. But now you can see her in person as she is coming to a city near you. 

Dave discovered a couple of Brits traveling the US and has been keeping up with them to see their thoughts on life in America. 

00:32 Manager's Meeting vs Super Bowl 

04:51 Winter Storm 

06:40 Sutton loves Phil Wickham 

09:08 Phil Wickham Proposal Story 

13:47 Carmen's Bigger Words 

18:22 Sumac 

19:35 Interferon Protein 

23:07 Bee Propolis Nasal Spray 

26:43 The Eye is The Lamp 

29:57 When Your Eye Is Good, Your Whole Body Is Good 

35:09 Sadie Robertson Huff coming to a city near you 

38:18 Josh and Jace 

43:24 Bill's BIG Word 

It's Day 2 of The JOY FM in Augusta, Georgia. And after we launched yesterday, we had a number of questions from listeners there about Donor Relations, so we asked our Donor Relations Manager to stop in. 

After Dave got his new Indiana Jones style hat, he had a request from a listener to do a TikTok trend, but he wasn't sure what it was. And talking about that trend reminded Carmen of the recent trend of sharing memories from 2016. Which we promptly jumped on. 

The Midweek Praise Break has become a thing! And this week we featured Firm Foundation, I Know A Name and How Great Thou Art. 

Many around the country have been following all that is going on in Minnesota recently. And Bill had some thoughts on the recent disruption by protestors at City Church. 

Mahjong has become a thing in Nashville and Carmen is hoping it becomes a thing with her friends now that all the pieces to her set have arrived. 

Across the Southeast, many are bracing for an ice storm. 

Did you know that Chick-fil-A is celebrating 80 years? And there doing a number of things to celebrate. 

We're looking forward to a visit from We The Kingdom in February. But, until they arrive, we'll make do with their song, "Rescue Me". 

Did you know that No Buy January is a thing? Dave obviously didn't, but his purchase yesterday could certainly be deemed "essential". 

And did you know that the #1 food brand won the honor for the second year in a row? It's a thing we learned this morning while celebrating Nothing Bundt Cakes. 

00:32 Jennie Dixon talks Donor Relations 

03:57 2016 trend 

08:16 Jumping on the trend 

09:11 Midweek Praise Break - Firm Foundation, I Know A Name, How Great Thou Art 

11:13 Midweek Praise Break Recap 

11:39 Protest disruption at City Church in Minnesota 

17:06 Dave's Minnesota connections 

18:15 Mahjong 

22:38 Ice Storm on the way 

24:51 80 years of Chick-fil-A

28:07 New song from We The Kingdom 

28:52 Reactions to "Rescue Me" 

30:28 No buy January / Dave's hat stands 

34:54 #1 food brand - Nothing Bundt Cakes 

36:57 Bill's BIG Word

We've got a new place to hang our hats as we welcomed listeners of 88.3 FM in Augusta, Georgia to The JOY FM listening family. And Dave's got a brand new hat now that it has arrived all the way from the UK. 

00:32 Hi to Augusta! 

02:40 Verizon outage 

06:11 text your friends in Augusta

09:08 texts 

10:35 Paige Brown Week 1 

14:06 How to connect with us 

16:39 Indiana wins! 

21:09 use the Open Mic 

23:37 Open Mics - Welcome Augusta! 

26:01 Dave's hat is in the building 

31:46 Dave's hat is in the studio 

33:52 Dave's hat unboxing 

37:45 texts 

41:32 wrapping up our first day with Augusta 

44:19 Bill's BIG Word

Dave, Bill and Carmen are back after spending some time linking up with folks in Augusta, Georgia as we prepare to bring one of our sister stations, WAFJ 88.3, under The JOY FM umbrella tomorrow morning. 

While they were travelling, Bill pondered if we would ever get past the instructions on buckling up the seatbelt. 

Tonight in Miami, the Hoosiers and Hurricanes will link up to play each other for the College Football National Championship. 

Dave linked up to the live feed of the Artemis spacecraft crawling towards the launchpad on Saturday. 

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Bill thought it would be fun to look at the links between Martin Luther and Martin Luther King, Jr. 

With the colder weather, Bill quickly made the link that it is a good time for chili and he has a recommendation for a chili powder for you. 

After Dave was done linking up to the Artemis live feed, he went for a long walk on what was the 11-month anniversary of his wife's passing to a park they often visited together. 

The cold weather not only brought snow to the Florida panhandle but also played a big part in the NFL playoffs this weekend as teams linked up to play each other. 

With football playoffs under way, many people make the link between watching the game and getting snacks. Dave shared the list of the most popular football snacks according to Instacart. 

00:32 WAFJ travel and story 

05:32 "To Fasten Your Seatbelt" 

07:23 CFP tonight/ NFL Playoffs 

11:57 Artemis crawling to launchpad 

17:13 MLK Day - Luther and King 

19:46 MLK Day - 4 Questions 

23:42 WAFJ becomes The JOY FM tomorrow 

27:56 Chili Powder Hack 

31:00 Dave reflects on 11-month anniversary of Emilie's passing 

34:49 cold weather and NFL Playoff games 

39:14 special day tomorrow

44:13 Instacart popular football snacks 

47:42 Bill's BIG Word