SANDY SAMPLES....B.C.
I SPENT 35 YEARS AS A NON BELIEVER. I PLAYED COUNTRY MUSIC FOR 15 OF THOSE YEARS....ON THE ROAD MOST OF THOSE YEARS...COAST TO COAST, BORDER TO BORDER. AND I LIVED THE LIFE. MY BUS WAS MY HOME AND A SMOKY CLUB WAS WHERE I SPENT 6 OR 7 NIGHTS A WEEK. I BELIEVED ONLY IN THINGS I COULD TOUCH OR DRINK OR SMOKE AND LIVED EVERY DAY LIKE IT WAS MY LAST. WHY NOT?? THERE WAS NOTHING BEYOND THIS. MY PRAYERS WENT TO THE "WILD TURKEY" GOD!
AND THEN LIKE THE WORDS IN ONE OF THE SONGS ON MY CD, "LORD, HAVE MERCY ON ME", AND THEN A FRIEND, HE TOLD ME ABOUT JESUS! THAT FRIEND WAS MY LONG TIME DRUMMER WHO DROVE MY BUS, WAS THE YEN TO MY YANG ON STAGE (I AM A BASS GUITARIST), BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY PREACHED TO ME CONSTANTLY...ALMOST TO THE POINT OF GETTING FIRED SEVERAL TIMES. AND BY "PREACHED", I MEAN, AS MY BEST FRIEND, HE WOULD TRY TO TALK TO ME ABOUT
JESUS AND CONSTANTLY HELD ME IN PRAYER. HE WAS THE ONE WHO HAULED ME TO THE CHURCH KICKING AND SCREAMING...HA!
SANDY SAMPLES.....THE SALVATION
THE CHURCH WAS A CHURCH OF GOD IN SANFORD, FLORIDA. AND THE EVANGELIST'S NAME WAS DAN CALLAHAN FROM TAMPA, FLORIDA. I WAS DUPED INTO THINKING THAT THERE WAS A BAND PLAYING THIS REVIVAL THAT HAD A BASS PLAYER THAT COULD "PLAY CIRCLES AROUND ME".....CHARLIE, MY DRUMMER, HAD BEEN CALLED TO GET ME THERE THAT NIGHT AND HE DID NOT IGNORE HIS CALLINGS. THE BASS PLAYER WAS AVERAGE BUT THE LOVE THAT WAS BUSTING OUT ALL OVER ME WHEN I LEFT THAT NIGHT WAS ANYTHING BUT! THERE IS NO USE IN TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE FEELING...IT IS THE PEACE BEYOND UNDERSTAND-ING THAT THE BIBLE SPEAKS ABOUT.....THAT COMES WHEN YOU FINALLY KNOW THE TRUTH. AND IT IS THE GREATEST HIGH I HAVE EVER BEEN ON AND I HAVE BEEN ON SOME DOOZIES!! I WAS CHANGED THAT NIGHT IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE JUST BY INVITING JESUS INTO MY LIFE. MY OLD HABITS DIDN'T CHANGE THAT QUICKLY BUT MY SPIRIT CHANGED FROM A NOT CARING TO A CARING SPIRIT WHO WANTED TO LEARN ALL I COULD ABOUT THIS MAN CALLED JESUS.
SANDY SAMPLES.......BABY CHRISTIAN
THOSE WERE SOME OF THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE...THOSE BABY CHRISTIAN DAYS. FIRST, I AM AN AVID READER, AND I COULD NOT PUT "THE BOOK" DOWN!
GOD SURROUNDED ME WITH CHRISTIANS WHO TAUGHT ME IMPORTANT LESSONS I NEEDED TO LEARN. MY DEMEANOR ON STAGE CHANGED....YEP, I WAS STILL IN THOSE NIGHTCLUBS 6 OR 7 NIGHTS A WEEK, BUT DID YOU KNOW THERE IS SCRIPTURE IN "WELCOME TO MY WORLD", A SONG I LOVED AND SANG OFTEN BY THE LATE, GREAT EDDY ARNOLD. LIKE I SAID, MY BUS WAS STILL MY HOME AND LIFE ON THE ROAD THE ONLY LIFE I REALLY KNEW THEN. SO ABOUT 3 YEARS AFTER I WAS SAVED.....AND AFTER GOD HAD SHOWN ME SO MUCH, HE BURNT MY BUS TO THE GROUND OUT ON I-40 IN THE MIDDLE OF NEW MEXICO. THE THING I REMEMBER MOST ABOUT THAT DAY AND NIGHT ARE THE WORDS OF A TRUCKER THAT HAD STOPPED TO TRY TO HELP US AS LIFE AS I KNEW IT WENT UP IN A FIERY BLAZE. HE SAID "SANDY, IN ORDER TO HAVE A NEW BEGINNING, YOU HAVE GOT TO HAVE AND ENDING".
SANDY SAMPLES......NEW BEGINNING
THAT SAME SWEET TRUCKER LOADED US UP IN HIS RIG...MY CREW, OUR EQUIPMENT, AND MY BASSET HOUND "B-FLAT".....AND DROVE US TO GALLUP WHERE I FINISHED UP A TWO WEEK COMMITMENT..WENT TO HARLINGEN,TX AND FINISHED UP A TWO WEEK COMMITMENT....AND CAME OFF THE ROAD FOR GOOD. BECAUSE I KNEW IT WAS GOD AT THAT POINT.....JUST DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE HAD IN STORE FOR ME. SEVERAL YEARS OF REFINING WERE TO FOLLOW AND THEN THE MUSIC FOR THE "WE ARE ONE IN THE NAME OF JESUS" CD STARTED POURING INTO OUR PUBLISHING COMPANY. WITH THE HELP OF ONE SPECIAL ANGEL, (IT IS HER VOICE YOU HEAR IN THE RECESITATION PART OF "THROUGH THE EYES OF LOVE"), THE FINANCES CAME TOGETHER TO GET THE CD RECORDED AND PRESSED. SHE HAD JUST BEEN REUNITED WITH A SON AND DAUGHTER THAT WERE STOLEN FROM HER 34 YEARS EARLIER AND FELT SHE NEEDED TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK.
SANDY SAMPLES......THE MINISTRY
I WILL NEVER FORGET MY FIRST "GIG" UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF MY NEW BOSS. I WAS BOOKED ON THE WIMBERLEY GOSPEL FESTIVAL....ONE OF THE BIGGEST THREE DAY EVENTS IN TEXAS EVERY YEAR.....AND WAS THERE TO DEBUT THE NEW CD AND DEBUT THE NEW AND IMPROVED SANDY SAMPLES SHOW! AND FRIENDS AND FANS SAID I SANG BETTER THAN THEY HAD EVER HEARD ME. AND I CAME OFF THE STAGE FEELING LIKE I HAD JUST HAD THE WORST PERFORMANCE OF MY LIFE. I CAN HARDLY REMEMBER MANY TIMES IN MY LIFE FEELING ANY LOWER THAN I DID THAT DAY. AND I ONLY SOLD 3 CDs AND THOSE WERE SYMPATHY SALES!!
YOU SEE I HAD LESSONS TO LEARN AND NOW THEY WERE GOING TO BE TAUGHT WITH A FIRM HAND AS I WAS GOING OUT IN HIS NAME. HERE ARE THE LESSONS I LEARNED THAT DAY AND IN THE DAYS TO FOLLOW:
1. IT IS NOT THE SANDY SAMPLES SHOW ANYMORE......A HARD ONE FOR ME....AND WHY I WAS DEALT WITH IN THE ONLY WAY THAT COULD GRAB MY ATTENTION...MAKING ME FEEL LIKE A TOTAL FAILURE ON THAT STAGE WHERE I HAD SPENT MOST OF MY LIFE.
2. I WOULDN'T BE MAKING THE MONEY I MADE IN SECULAR MUSIC.....BUT HE WOULD BE THERE TO MEET MY EVERY NEED AS LONG AS I WALKED OUT IN FAITH.
3. I HAD TO TOTALLY SUPPLICATE MYSELF TO HIS WILL IN ORDER FOR HIM TO BLESS ME. THIS WAS ALSO A HARD ONE FOR ME AS I KEPT TRYING TO HANG ON TO A LITTLE PIECE OF MYSELF FOR OLD TIME SAKE.
4. I HAD TO LEARN TO BE PATIENT. WAITING ON GOD IS HARD SOMETIMES BUT GETTING AHEAD OF HIM IS IMPOSSIBLE. I HAD TO LEARN TO QUIT TALKING AND ASKING AND PRAYING ALL THE TIME....AND GET QUIET....AND LISTEN TO WHAT THE MASTER HAD TO SAY.
5. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, I HAD TO LEARN THAT HIS LOVE IS NEVER ENDING. AS LONG AS I GET UP EVERY MORNING AND GET IN THE BACK SEAT AND LET HIM DO THE DRIVING, HE IS GOING TO LOVE ME AND TEACH ME AND SHOWER ME WITH BLESSINGS.
AND SO I WILL PRAISE THE LORD WITH MY VERY LAST BREATH HERE ON EARTH.
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