This is the Truth Network. Kingdom Pursuits, where you hear from ordinary people instilled with an extraordinary passion. Together we explore the stories of men and women who take what they love and let God turn their passion into kingdom pursuits.
Now, live from the Truth Booth, your host, Robbie Dilmore. Have fun today on Kingdom Pursuits. We are. Always, it's amazing to see how God gives people different passions and He uses those to build the kingdom. They're like gifts and amazing gifts that He's given us.
And today we have Sandra Johnson right here. You might be listening in Ohio today, or you might be listening in Illinois or Virginia or South Carolina or even Florida. Wherever that may be, if you didn't know, the headquarters of the Truth Network is in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. And so we have a lady here from.
So, not often do I have people in the studio, kind of fun. We have Sandra. Am I saying it right? Do you say Sandra or Sandra? Sandra.
Sandra. Okay, we want to get it right. Sandra Johnson, I'll probably mess that up two or three times, but anyway, she is actually a songwriter. And so tell us a little bit about how God put that on your heart, Sandra.
Well, I have been um I've always been a person anyways that like to to do poems and things like that, but Um Several years ago, the the Lord laid it on my heart, you know. Um To start writing, you know, the gospel songs for him. I sung in the church choir at Fall Creek Baptist Church in Johnsville and Um I've always loved music and so I just started scribbling on paper. You know, I'd get thoughts from the sermons or something like that. And, um, Um And I would take that thought and the Lord would just lay in my mind and heart, what to put on that paper.
And um Next thing, you know, uh Come up with a song and um One of them that and so your melodies as well? Yes. When I'm writing them down, I have a melody in my head, and that just kind of helps it, I guess, flow on paper and so forth. And so, what instruments do you play? Or do you play instruments?
Yes, I do. I play the bass guitar. Really? And so, did you ever play a stand-up bass or just a bass? No, I've always wanted to, but I haven't had the opportunity.
Um,. And I didn't realize it until I started taking lessons that I play by ear. Uh, notes you can forget it. I haven't, you know, I kind of know where they are, but if you want me to play with sheet music, we're in trouble. But um and I've been teaching myself to play the keyboards.
I have played the drums and So you lots of things.
So God has stretched you your comfort zone, no doubt, right? Yes, he has. And then all of a sudden it's interesting how he takes you on adventures. Like, did you ever think you would be on the radio talking about Your songs. No, I have been pinching myself, to be honest with you.
This is such a blessing, and I really appreciate you. Having me here.
Well, there is no. Thank the Lord for that as well. This is something I never thought would ever happen. That's the beauty of this show, from my perspective, is that when God put it on my heart, and Stu Everson, the owner of Truth Network, to have a show. Um F because everybody out there Has a relationship with God.
Whether they know they do or not, that may be another story. But they have one. And everybody will talk to God if they haven't yet. I assure you, you know, I love that song. I don't know if you've ever heard it.
Everybody talks to God, but nonetheless. And God puts something on your heart to write a movie. to teach Sunday school, to work in the choir, to to Whatever that may be, he takes something, and I knew one guy, one of the first guests I ever had on this show. Um he taught sailing lessons at a Christian camp, like how to sail a little boat. Right.
Or sail a big boat, you know. He he he was a sailor and that was his passion. But he could teach that at a at a at a church camp. And use the Holy Spirit. You know, like when you have a hold, if you've ever been on a sailboat, right, you pretty much, right, the wind has got you, and you know, it's very much connected to the idea of the Holy Spirit, right?
And so the idea of the show was: how does God take that? And then what do you do with that? And I and I love people that have been obedient like yourself. to say okay this is out of my this is out of my comfort zone But I'm going to walk with you, God. Um what what might this feel like?
And so You know, during this show today we have a few of of Sandra's songs. We're going to play is a bump in, so you get to hear those as we go along. The first one, which I edited this morning, so that we could fit it into the time spot available, is actually her testimony. And I got to tell you, I was kind of dumbfounded. Like, how beautiful.
A, her testimony is. and how connected it is to my testimony. We're going to share that. I like it. I was fascinated.
I was like, man. This is very much the experience I had. Um and I it which I hadn't heard anybody actually, I've heard a lot of testimonies in this job, as you could imagine. I've never had anybody relate what you relayed in that song. And so I immediately connected to it, and I was like, it was beautifully done, beautifully sung.
And then all of a sudden, man. Listen to that. Listen to that. Your music. Yes.
Ryan? If God is in there. 'Cause we all have the same spirit. It's what it says in Ephesians, right? One baptism, one Spirit.
And you're my brother in Christ. Right. And so that same spirit that touched me. is touching you and is touching everybody. And only when somebody uses their gifts That God gave you the gift to play the bass guitar, which I think is really fun.
And then He gave you the gift to be in the choir and to love music and to hear notes. And hear harmonies? And in your case you're hearing tempo? Right, there's all sorts of things that go into a song. Mm-hmm.
There is a lot of things that goes into a song, and especially Like I said, if you don't do sheet music, you've got to be able to hear changing the notes and you know, uh This Just different things like that. No, it's just a beautiful gift. And so, like I said, we're going to get to hear those songs, but. You know. Because I have such a beautiful example of this shenanigans today, you know, speaking of songs.
But now the fun begins. Oh, yes, it is time to play shenanigans. And I have just a whole enough to probably get us through the end of this, and we can start out the next segment to play more shenanigans. Because when it came to the word songs, Um there's so much fodder there for shenanigans, it's unbelievable.
So Nick is very familiar with this. And Sandra, if you feel like you know the answer, jump right in. What's a cow's favorite Beatle song? A cow's Favorite Beatle song. I'm a bad musician because I can't think of any Beatles songs.
I know some of the Beatles songs, but I can't think of any of them. Oh, you'll think of this one. Hey Chew. Oh, man. I must be in the wife.
Hey, Chew. All right. And so. You know, being the Christian car guy, I get a chance to do a lot of car shows. And I've noticed that the song they play quite often at car shows, you know what that one might be?
Life is a highway. I like that song and I use it on my show sometimes. But if you ever go to a car show and you see some guy and he's got this 33 Chevrolet that's all decked out and beautiful, there'd be a big sign on the engine. And what would that sign say? Can't touch this, Dunn.
Believe me. Believe me. You've been there, all right? I really like this one. Um What's of phlebotomists?
Favorite song? Ponder what a phlebotomist Favorite song may be, and I get to tell my favorite mother-in-law story, true story of what happened with my mother-in-law one day when it comes to phlebotomy. Just an amazing idea of what a phlebotomist's favorite song will be. We got that. Plus, a whole lot more.
Actually, when we come back, you're going to hear Sandra's song, her testimony from the darkness. Is that the name of it? Out of the darkness. There you go. Much more fun.
You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. I walked inside. A little country church. There were happy faces all around.
So different from me Did they see? They had something. I've not found There's Sunday. More about. Oh too much.
I pray, dear Lord, please hear my cry. Come into my heart. And save My soul.
So if you How forever. About my eyes that once was blinded can see like never before a heart that once was broken is made whole forevermore. How long I was drifting with no path in my sight out of the darkness by Sandra Johnson, and she's our guest today on Kingdom Resuits. How fun. Um That is an amazing testimony that we're going to get into in a minute, but we are right in the middle of shenanigans.
And so, to get back, yeah, there you go. We hadn't finished these, but we will get to her testimony in a minute. But I know you're wondering. Everybody's wondering about what is a phlebotomus. Favorite song.
And so, if you're not familiar with phlebotomy, it's the study of veins, okay?
So with that in mind, what's a phlebotomist's favorite song? Can I give you a hint? Carly Simon sang it, you know? You're so vain. But I promised a mother-in-law story while the while the music's still playing.
We gotta this is f hilarious. One day I went to visit my mother-in-law in her apartment and um when she lived across town. And as I was sitting there, she looked at me and she said, um Robbie, have you ever seen a flea in my house? And I said, no. And she said, On my couch, I said no.
She said, have you ever been around fleas when you're around me? And I said, no. And she said, well, how did I get this phlebitis? I don't know. And That's a good one.
Phlebitis is what she actually had, which is spelled with a pH like phlebotomy, but. She pronounced it like a lot of people would here in North Carolina, flea bitis. And she anticipated that a flea might have had something to do with it. Anyway, I got a kick out of that. I think about it every once in a while.
So, since we're not done, and I'm hoping that you guys can get this one, it's a lot easier. Who writes songs about sewing machines? Who writes songs about sewing machines? And that that actually in this particular case would be Sandra. Because she is a singer.
Songwriter. That's a good one. And my personal favorite today, although we're getting down on the list now. What is a Carnivore's favorite Elvis song? What is a car?
And this would actually tickle me. I laughed for a minute or two. What is a carnivore's favorite Elvis song? Hound dog. That would be good, but that would have to be a serious corn dog, you know.
But. That corndog is kind of like this one. Love meet tender. Very good. Very good.
Love meat tender. That's pretty good. And to end up, it's just that I'm hoping you can get this one. Before we get to the actual one, you can call me a win today. Can a chickpea sing you a song?
Can a chick pee? Sing you a song. I'll check. Yeah. Before the UK every week.
So you knew at the end of those shenanigans, I would actually have a riddle for you to call in and win today. And so I enjoy this riddle. I hope you can get it Yeah. Yeah. Oh my.
It's actually in the Old Testament. I will tell you that. What's the number one song in the Bible? What's the number one song? I like that one.
in the Bible 866-348. 7884. What's the number one song in the Bible? 866-348-7884. And if they can guess that, Nick, tell them what they win.
Absolutely. Yes, you're going to win a prize from our Kingdom Pursuits Prize Ball. We have action Bibles, date the word calendars, and biblical backstretches. If you know the answer to Robbie's riddles, give us a call at 866-348-7884. That's 866-34 Truth.
The one, the only Kingdom Pursuits. Gospel back scratchers. They have They have the little beads so that while you're scratching someone's back, You can show them, you know, the white is for what, you know, and the black and oh, yeah, the red, you know, for Jesus' blood. It's all on there. If you get the gospel backscratcher, only available and custom-made by me, actually.
Yeah. And these new additions, the original ones were plastic. These are bamboo. Like man, like Just the guests going on. Yeah, you have to guess or riddle it so far.
You get us. We have Derek is in Cary, North Carolina. Derek, you are on Kingdom Pursuits. What's. The number one song in the Bible.
I would have to say The Song of Solomon? Oh oh, it's the Song of Songs. I love that! That was not what I was thinking. But nonetheless, it's a better answer.
I at the Song of Solomon. That is genius, Derek. I love it. Awesome. Love you guys.
I love you.
Well, I'm going to put you back on hold so you can talk to Nick about what you may choose from the Kingdom Pursuit Prize for all that. Oh, awesome. And by the way, I just thought I'd let you know that I have the man that was giving us the fentanyl. No, not fentanyl. What is the Narcan?
Narcan. We ran out of our NAR cam that we had the King of Pursuit's Prize Vault because people were asking for that. But anyway, Derek, I'm going to put John Holden. You talked with Nick. We have a lot of fun.
There's no doubt about that. All right. Thank you, guys. Thank you.
So The Sandra? Sandra? There you go. I don't know why I love to say that that. It's okay.
I'll answer it every one.
So, Sandra. That is your testimony that you put to music in beautiful, amazing Harmonies, choruses, tempos, etc. It's all in there in that particular. Um song. But more than that.
Is the spirit of God. Like what you actually experienced that day, you saw something. In those people Yes, I did. Can you kind of walk us through that testimony?
Well, we, um, started going to our Church fifty-one years ago. Really? Yeah, the church you now go to. Yes, fifty-one years. Is how long I've been going there.
Good for you. And yes, and it's a wonderful church. Uh my my father's uncle uh had been a member there and he invited us to come.
So we come when I was seven and about time I was nine years old, I felt the Lord start dealing with my heart. Um you know about getting saved and um So at invitation time, I'd always scoot to the end of the bench and and kind of put my arms on top of the back of the one in front of me with my head down. And I remember raising my hand when he had asked, you know, if there's anybody knew that they were lost, I'd raise my hand Sunday after Sunday and then this one particular Sunday Um, I I couldn't stand it any more. And um I had no doubt before I even got up. and went down to the altar that he saved me as soon as I stepped up.
God, I don't remember what the preachers... Wife told me to say, you know, as far as the salvation prayer or anything, all I know is I got up and I was a different person. And I don't know. You said something in your testimony that I told you I related to. Uh-huh.
You said I saw something in these other people that I knew I didn't have. They were smiling and happy and seemed like they were just at peace. And my little old heart was just troubled and and I wanted what they had. That was the point. Yes.
And I didn't come to Christ till later in life. Like, I was in my mid-30s, and I was. At that point in time, the general manager of a Honda Volvo store in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. And um My whole world was about selling cars up until that point in my life, and all I ever thought about was selling cars. And uh God had put it on my heart to start reading the Bible, and my wife started telling me, We got to go to church, we got to go to church.
Almost at the same time, and we go to this church, it was actually Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh. And we went into the Sunday school class. And all these people They were so n nice to me. And they didn't want to buy a car. That shocked me.
It was like... Why would anybody be this nice to me? I couldn't understand the motive. Wait. The There's always a motive if you, you know, in the world that I lived in, but there was no motive to these people other than just to be nice.
And I was like, man. How did they get that? And it was the same kind of thing that you can relate to. And it's absolutely beautiful. We'll be back shortly with another song from Sandra.
You're listening to The Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. I can hardly imagine. Julie. What heaven will Bela. With a lamb.
It's the sun. And there'll be no more night even with the street.
Some gold. And the man. True. What I love. Oh, for most of all is his face I want to see.
The skies gonna open wide when I drop this signal. Jesus will appear in the clouds. My feet will leave the ground as I rise up to the side.
So, that is your favorite of all your songs. That one, she's, I wish you could see. Like, she's tearing up on us.
Okay, I can't listen to it without crying. And why?
Well He is my lord. And I could only imagine If I get to go in the rapture Just seeing him come up in the clouds with his arms open wide and finally getting to see. the man's face that died for me, somebody it was so unworthy. And then on top of all of that, seeing all my loved ones. that has gone before me and see em again.
And Never have a night. 'Cause he's gonna be the son. Isn't that cool? Bless you in. And so the name of that song is.
Jesus changed it all for me. And that's it's and again, what an what an amazing idea. Uh, it conjures up all sorts of stuff in me as well, and that's the beauty of worship, right? Is that When you truly worship, you're putting him on the throne. And, um, And allowing to see what that is.
Um You know, you said something in that song, too, that touched me about. Wanting to see his face, right? And you said it here again, you repeated that idea. And so Years ago. Um actually before God called me to be on the radio, I had this experience.
They don't relate. And it has to do with his face.
So I was praying like one night. And I was still in a car business at this point in time. I was the Chrysler dealer in Moxville, North Carolina. And I was concerned about a lot of things that are kind of hilarious to me now, payroll and money stuff and crazy stuff that I was worried about that none of that matters anymore. And all of a sudden...
I don't know if you've ever had an experience where God showed up to you in prayer and it kind of was the fear of the Lord kind of thing, like, oh my gosh, He's here, and it terrified me. I was terrified. Wow. Shaken, literally shaken. And He came with this question.
which is pretty common Jesus question. He said Robbie? What do you want? And the question floored me. Yeah.
I did not see that coming and I felt like I needed to say something quickly.
So I glibly, I mean, glibly just said, I just want to serve you, right? That seemed like a good answer at the time. And he just looked at me, and almost with a wink, he said, Do you? And then it was like something out of Bruce Almighty when this file cabinet opens up and oh my gosh, here's all these things that he had put on my heart to do, like write a song or write a poem. But most of it was actually connecting to people.
Right? That it was, I was supposed to call this person, I was supposed to go have lunch with that person, and it was like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And every single one of them, clear as a bell, how he'd put it on my heart and when and how exactly. And I felt it and I knew exactly what he was saying, in spite of the fact that he didn't say anything. He just showed it to me.
And it was like your life's going to flash behind before your face. Oh, yeah, it's going to. And you're going to be shocked. I was because this went on. And I was so excited about it, actually.
It was no condemnation. And it was like, oh, man, I can still do this stuff. And so I jumped up out of my prayer position and went where I could get some light and a piece of paper. And I started writing down all these things. I was like, oh, God, thank you, man.
I can do this. I can make this call. I can have this lunch. I can still do this. I know these people.
And I was just so excited that I actually do what I felt like God was putting on my heart. Like, do you want to serve me?
Well, here you go. Like, here's the stuff I already told you that you haven't done. And so. Um I kind of laid back down praying again next to my wife in bed, and who was fast asleep because it was like one or two in the morning. And as I'm laying there, just repenting, like, thank you, God, thank you for showing me.
This is so valuable. This is unbelievable. This is amazing. And as I was having this experience, all of a sudden, this phenomenal glow fills the room. Like, oh my gosh, like glow, like from being terrified to being awestruck, like here, the room is filled with this glow.
And all of a sudden, I see the image. Like through a mirror, dimly, of the beginning of his face to show up. And I am, my heart is screaming. I didn't even know that, you know, like, I was like, I'm going to see his face. I'm just like, oh, this is unbelievable.
And I'm screaming. And so I actually wake my wife up, like, Tammy, Tammy, I'm going to see his face. This is amazing, you know?
Well, she was not in the moment. Huh. Yeah. And She just looked at me like, are you out of your mind? You know, she's been married to me for a while.
Yeah. And it just killed the whole thing. Like, it was just like, I went from being here to being like, oh, that didn't work too well. And then I laid back down. And as I laid back down a little bit frustrated with the situation, because I felt like it was so close and that I didn't cause the finish line, and God just winked at me and He said, Robbie, Now do you know what you want?
And the point is the point that you made. That I did not know how bad I wanted to see his face. Yeah. until I began to see it. And there's no doubt in my mind that for each and every one of us at that moment, and I can only imagine is the perfect word, because I think that's a song, too, if I'm not mistaken.
Pretty famous one. Actually, I had a chance to interview him at one time. talk about the inspiration behind that song, but Um Okay. At that moment, he made it very clear that you have. This unbelievable desire that's in you that will be awakened at some point in time when it begins to happen.
And then, as you said, You know, that's going to be like, oh my gosh, it's going to be off the hook. It's going to be more than you could ever imagine, I can assure you. But then you said something else. You said And I'm going to see. All these people.
Yes. And You know, we're probably of a similar generation. I'm not going to go there very deeply. But nonetheless, I can tell if you've been going to that church for 51 years, you know, you're not. You're not quite as old as I am, but you're you're not.
Yeah, I was just a baby. You might have heard Elvis sing. But anyway, love me tender, no? But. But E You know, that idea, my mother.
Told me this years ago, and it's such a treasure. I love to repeat it whenever I think about it. What she said to me, because she got to be, she was probably about my age at the time. in her early seventies and she Um was losing friends left and right in her church. Which really broke her heart.
Yes. And she said, Robbie, the longer I live, the more my treasure is in heaven. You got that right. Isn't that a beautiful? Isn't that a beautiful idea that to some extent you know, our treasure becomes the relationships That We have enjoyed Um And You know, that God put on our heart to push into those relationships.
And that love that's interchange between and all involved in that relationship is something that never fails. It never goes away. It'll always be there. Right, the older I get, the more my treasure is in heaven. It's quite a saying, isn't it?
I saw you write that down. It's a good one. Yes, it just gave me the thoughts of another song. Actually, I was like, that is a good one right there. Absolutely beautiful because we all Um, the older we get, the more we'll understand that particular one.
So, we're so grateful to have again Sandra Johnson. We're going to talk about more about her music, and I'll we come back. If you feel like calling and you've got a question for us, we'd love to talk to you: 866-348-7884. You're listening to The Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. At times the slowest of the menu.
Life Can turn upside down. Leaving me confused and alone A feeling of pressure. For resolution To get out of the rain Raging storm. Then a still small voice down in my soul. Speaks to me so tenderly Love, child.
You're not alone and will never be. Just keep your eyes on me above. There's a gateway that leads straight to the Father's ear, made with the blood that he shed on a cross just for you and me. When you're troubled or just need a friend, he knows your every care. Hold on, dear child, just talk to him and see.
That's the power of a prayer. Oh, it's beautiful. Absolutely. And that one is the power of a prayer. Is that yes, that's the name of that one.
And prayer, there is power in prayer because I'm going to tell you, there's been many a times. I was going through something, and all I had to do was just ask God, and I could just feel and knew He was right there with me. And uh that prayer was answered in God's time. But it was answered. Mauvin, you talk about it.
still small voice. Which Prayer is a two-way Right? That's the amazing thing that, um We get to experience that he actually loves his kids and his sheep hear his voice. Um they know his voice. And they'll follow him and that's that's amazing stuff.
So, you know, unfortunately, we're in the last segment, so we want to make sure to get you like if you want to know how to get, again, it's Sandra Johnson, her music is available. You actually have to go to her her um email address. And I love this 'cause it's love for music. L U V for Music 67.
So I'm guessing 67 was a good year. Yes, that. Yeah, you got that one right. Love. L-U-V for music67 at iCloud.com.
So love for music67 at iCloud.com is Sandra's. email address And she will make it available for you if you want to find out more. Again, she's still working on the YouTube channel and some other stuff. Maybe we'll have her on another time when she gets all that ready. But right now, it's love LUV4Music67 at iCloud.com.
And that's the number four. Yeah, F-O-R. Yeah, it's love for the number four music. There you go. Not F-O-R.
Good. I'm glad you mentioned that. 67, which is also a number.
So the four is a number and 67 is a number. at iCloud.com. Wonderful. During the break you had mentioned and again that song was powerful that often You get this inspiration at two or three in the morning. You know, I Am with you.
Quite often I get up at 2 or 3 in the morning because that's when. I Can Relate to God the best. I don't know. I have, it's very peaceful in the house. It's completely quiet.
I don't have any other distractions. And it's me and Him, and away we go. And I wouldn't miss it for the world, and it's the most valuable time that I could possibly imagine. And there's no way to explain the value of it. And again, if you read the Psalms, you'll see how important it was to David because it says he rose before midnight in order to sing, you know, and the idea.
Kind of is as the sun begins to come up, whether you realize it or not, even after 12 o'clock, the sun is coming up. Light is coming, it's on its way. But fascinatingly, you will discover the botanists will tell you that one of the most important things for any plant is darkness. What happens in the darkness? And in the darkness is the secret place.
There's a connection to that in Hebrew. And so, this idea of Rest. That can only happen In the secret place that you're describing, right? Yes. That I've seen interesting things on plants that plants desperately need darkness in order for the soil.
to do what the soil needs to do. Yes. Then You know, it it they they don't Actually, they mature the way that they should. The soil doesn't get the nutrients it should get. And a lot of the microbiology that we are feeding on is requires the darkness.
And it's the same thing for our souls from my perspective: is that right in that time, Is when it happens, right? Yes. Things, um. Seem to be so busy and fast-paced during the day, but like you said. Uh you're just At night, it's just so peaceful, and it seems like your mind can really think, and you you can just talk to the Lord.
And things just happen. And a lot of people say, Well, Robbie, when do you sleep?
Well, I take naps. There's a lot of ways that I find sleep.
Sometimes my daughter will say we fall asleep, right? But here's the trade-off, right? That if you ask God, when do you want my day? What what time is valuable to you? And let him point you in whatever direction that may be.
I won't be shocked if that ends up being really early when he can totally get your attention without distraction. Um, amazing stuff!
So, again. Sandra's email address is love LUV4, the number 4, music67 at iCloud.com. Sandra, thank you so much for being with us today. I appreciate the opportunity to be here, and thank you so much. Uh uh I'd love to hear from anybody that would like to email me and I'm going to keep writing music.
Good for you, because it does a lot for all of our hearts, as you can tell. And thank you for listening. We appreciate how she has taken her passion and used it to build the kingdom. Reached out anytime you want to come on a show, I would love to hear from you. Again, Robbie Dilmore is right there at TruthNetwork.com.
So Right now you've got so much truth coming at you. Encouraging prayers up next.
