Quirks, Bumps, and Bruises

Linda’s Story: How Joy FM Changed My Life

• The Morning JoyRide • Season 4 • Episode 10

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Melody sits down with Linda, a Joy FM listener and faithful supporter, to share how the ministry has carried her through seasons of heartbreak and loss. Hear how the music of Joy FM has brought her peace, strength, and hope when she needed it most.

SPEAKER_01:

Well good morning and welcome to Joy FM and the morning joy ride and uh Melody along with you. But I have on the phone with me this morning someone very special. It's uh a member of the Joy FM family, I guess I'll say, named Linda. And uh good morning first of all to you, Linda. Good morning. And thank you for talking with me today. And I do not know your story, but someone here at the station was able to talk to you recently. And they left me a note that said you have to call Linda and you have to hear her story. So, Linda, I'm just gonna let you tell whatever the Lord lays on your heart to tell us this morning about your testimony, your story, and just how Joy FM and God have been such a huge blessing and part of your life. And I know it begins with you trying so desperately to reach your children.

SPEAKER_00:

I talked till I was blue in the face. But driving down the road one day, I only listed joy I have since the day it began. And there was a song that came on and I don't even know what the what the song was, but it the question was, what will you say here that you did down there? And he started crying and he said, I don't understand why I'm crying. And I said, God's working on your heart. Well, nothing more was said and he got over it. Well, the very next day or two later, there was another song that came on and I don't remember what it was, but he was crying again and he didn't understand and I told him and I said, God's doing a work on your heart and you need to listen. Oh I listened, I listened, and he cried and he cried. And two weeks later we were going to the phone company and he didn't come in like usual, so I went out after lunch to see if he was ready to go, and I knocked and knocked, I couldn't get him to the door, and I knew right then going across the driveway. I knew something wasn't right. And I eventually had to call for a family member come and help get me in because the doors were locked. He lived in the backyard in a camper and when we got it opened, I knew as soon as I saw his face that he was dead. And the peace that flooded my heart as I went across that driveway only came from a good Lord, and I thank him every day. But what Joy did was gave me the peace in knowing that he was okay, that he got right with God as far as I knew. I've never had that peace before but twice in my life. And that day I've not cried a tear, I've not mourned like you usually mourn the loss of somebody. He was my best friend as far as if you ask him. He died with peace in his heart because joy gave him the assurance of the peace or whatever it is that he got from the songs that were being played. And as a mother, I was thankful because I couldn't reach him that Joy FM did. And I have never I've never mourned it. And then in twenty-three I lost my husband to cancer, and I had that peace again. I can't explain peace. God's word said there's no there's no way to explain it's beyond understanding. And I've never mourned the loss of either. Because of that peace, I know that there is a better place. I know that they are okay and that everything is alright. If it had not been for joy, it was because of your work, your dedication, and everything was together, you know, that day and at the right time, the right place. I could tell you about things for hours, but that's one, so every time I give, that's why I give an odd number because I do it on the day you died. I mean, what else can you say? But I couldn't do it, y'all did.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I sometimes I think the power of music is uh can reach a heart quicker than anything else.

SPEAKER_00:

It can. It it did with my husband years ago because he listened to something different. And and whenever he was with me, that's the only thing that's ever on my radio. Only thing. And he would just get ecstatic when certain songs would come on, and I don't remember the names of the songs. I wish I did, but music is something.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I like all music.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I think our our music is definitely I call it kind of uh meaty. In other words, it it's just full of Jesus. You know, you don't have to ever wonder if they're talking about anything else. It's all pointing to Jesus and and a lot of the songs point to heaven.

SPEAKER_00:

They do, you're right. The songs that y'all play, they're a ministry and it's in their self, they minister to somebody. And like I said, gonna say the songs that we have listened to through all these years, there are times I'm pretty sure God was driving the car because my hands were up in the air. Yeah. You know. But the music is there there's a place and time for everybody. Mm-hmm. And and when you can reach somebody through music, you're not demanding it. You're not and and whatever you put is great with whatever. I just want it to bless someone.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean that's that's the thing, and if if it blesses someone, then what you're doing is worth it all.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and I think that's what we try to, you know, to say a lot of times when we're doing fundraisers is that it's the right message at the right time with the right song, and you never know when that's going to be, such as in your case that you just told us about, that can change a life. And we even had a man recently that came to know Christ much later in life by listening during our preaching hour that we have every day. So we realize the power of Christian radio and that it can literally change a life for eternity by something that they've heard. And I think that's amazing.

SPEAKER_00:

It is because I've seen it happen before and it wasn't as personal, but I've seen it where one song just radiate into someone's spirit, you know? And you can see 'em. You can see it just all over 'em, thinking about everything they did. I did jail in president ministry for twenty-eight years. COVID messed up the things, and I haven't gone back. But you could see when the word of God, and I used to sing for 'em, you could just see where it would just touch somebody. Yeah. And it it didn't have to be all of them. All it had to be is just one. That's the way your ministry is, that's the way my ministry has been, and I could tell you about things that I've done and whatever, and I would probably blow you away. But it's not about what we do, it's about how God uses it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. We're just the tools that He uses. We are. We're d we're just the tool that's given a message. And we're able to plant seeds. Yeah, and those seeds may not flourish right away. No. It may take years. It may.

SPEAKER_00:

But when it grows, it's the right time and the right way. Yeah. I totally agree. Mm-hmm. My son had been listening to the to music when he rode with me forever. Yeah. And it had never touched him like it did. Two weeks later he's dead and gone, and I've still not mourned it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Satan won't give you that peace.

SPEAKER_01:

No, he will not.

SPEAKER_00:

He will not. He won't give you peace, but I'm telling you the peace that flooded my spirit that day is is still with me. Mm-hmm. And if I knew a family member dies, I might get tearful. Right. But I don't get cheerful like I would have before because now I understand the meaning of peace.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah. My father passed away a few months ago, and I can understand what you're saying because I know without a shadow of a doubt that he's with the Lord now. And when you know that and you lose a loved one, even though you mourn them being here on this earth with us in person, that peace that comes from knowing where they are is like nothing else.

SPEAKER_00:

You're right, you're right. And that I had talked about peace all my life, but I'd never understood peace until this happened. Mm-hmm. And when I I mean it brought me more peace than I thought was possible.

SPEAKER_02:

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00:

I've never understood how a song and I've had it happen before, how a song could minister to people the way they do. The Statler brothers used to sing, they were one of my favorites.

SPEAKER_02:

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00:

And my daughter was born with multiple handicaps. She never talked or walked or could see or anything. But you know, when the Statler brothers would come on and sing especially things like Amazing Grace, she would grin and smile from ear to ear. They don't ever know how much that their singing touched a little girl that never touched a soul.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Yeah. You know, it's kind of like too when you're you're reading scripture, and it's scripture that I may have known most of my life, but depending on the circumstance that I'm in or the situation that I'm in, or just where I am at that particular time in my life, you'll read that scripture that you've read a hundred times, and it just has a brand new meaning to you because of what you're going through. And that happens with our music as well. Sometimes we'll have a song that I have heard a m a million times because of being in radio. But because of something that I'm dealing with or going through or whatever the case may be, I hear it in a totally different way.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. Mm-hmm. Yes. That's like the Lord is my shepherd. I read that all my life. All my life. I never understood what it was to be a sheep.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Because a sheep can't lay down, it says by still waters. Well, sheep are nervous animals. They won't lay down beside rapid. They won't lay down beside a waterfall. They're not at peace with it. That scripture, reading it one day, it dawned on me, no matter where I go, he walks through the valley with me. Yeah. He doesn't drop me off and leave me there. You know? It's through the valley. And like you said, there's a peace that comes the right time, the right way, and the right day, and I'm thankful that joy was there when I needed you because I couldn't get through to somebody that was hard headed. Yeah. That's true. That's a good way to put that, I think. That that's the way it was. Don't listen to me because I'm preaching to you. But somebody that it didn't know listened to it on joy and knew that God was doing something in his heart. He had to get it together.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep. Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

And that and that's the way joy did for for him, and I could give you I could give you stories about how I know it's helped others. But in twenty-eight years, we don't know how many people you've reached.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

We have no clue. But that's not what we're supposed to know. We're just supposed to know that we're supposed to do what God said to.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. We may get to heaven one day though, and the Lord may say, Hey, you know that time you were listening to Joy FM, over there's Melody, she was on the morning show that time.

SPEAKER_00:

Or he's gonna ask you, wonder because of you being on the radio, how many people did you reach? How many people got saved by listening to a song?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And we don't know the answer.

SPEAKER_02:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

We haven't just like the man you were talking about. We don't know the answer, but God does.

SPEAKER_01:

He sure does.

SPEAKER_00:

And I'm thankful for that because I always said God would ask you someday, how many did you bring with you? I don't know. As long as it's one, then you've done your job.

SPEAKER_02:

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

You know? Yeah. So I appreciate y'all. I mean, you've done more for me than I ever thought you'd do. I drive down the road a lot of times. My stop signs, I know people that think I'm nuts at stop lights because my hands are in the air or I'm I'm a clapping or or singing or something because it ministers to me. Mm-hmm. And I have rolled down the wind and let it minister to others before.

SPEAKER_01:

I know we hear stories sometimes of when someone goes to either buy a car, uh, either on a lot or buy from someone else, and then they get in the car and it's already set to Joy FM and uh and then they've they've never heard of Joy FM before, but then they hear it and then they stick with it. So uh it's amazing how the Lord can just use anything to do what he needs to do to touch a heart and touch a life.

SPEAKER_00:

And I'm thankful that it goes on because when you travel, you can take it with you.

SPEAKER_01:

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. You know, you reach out and you think, Well, there ain't no way I can find them out here, and there you are.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, recently when we were in the morning times during our fundraiser, we first of all asked for prayer partners, and uh the first week that we were in our fundraiser, we got a call from someone who said that they would be praying for us, and guess where he was from?

SPEAKER_00:

No telling.

SPEAKER_01:

Brazil.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

Listening on the Joy FM app.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

So you're right.

SPEAKER_00:

So you don't know how far out you go. Mm-hmm. All right. You might say, Well, I go to Brazil, but somebody that's in Peru never heard of it, like you said, and they pick up on it because they can, because it's there.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. You mentioned your prison ministry. We have many that listen to Joy FM while in prison.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. Yeah. Yes. And it's a great way because you're not preaching at them.

SPEAKER_01:

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00:

You're bringing the word to them.

SPEAKER_01:

To them, yes. That's it.

SPEAKER_00:

And that's that's what makes a difference. That's the reason why they'll listen.

SPEAKER_01:

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00:

Because they don't want to be preached at.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

A lot of them that are in jails and prisons that I have met have known the word for years because grandma was a preacher or grandma told them this, or mama or daddy, or whoever, and they didn't want to be preached to and they never got that peace until that peace was necessary.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Just thankful that there's a station that I can listen to and I can find peace and joy in, and and do a whole lot of household shouting going down the road. Because that's kind of my prayer closet.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

There's nobody there to mess uh mess with me. There's nobody there to interfere. And you get behind the wheel and a song comes on. How can you keep your hands on the wheel?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you be careful you be careful out there, Linda, while you're praising and driving.

SPEAKER_00:

I do. I I've got a knee or or God take the wheel like the psalm used to say, you know. It's uh but there are times where you you just gotta do what you what comes over you. But I appreciate y'all so much.

SPEAKER_01:

Linda, thank you so much for for talking to me this morning. But uh you are just a blessing and I know that you've touched a lot of hearts of those listening, and so uh thank you again. You're just a sweetheart. And uh thank you for being part of our family and thank you for supporting and loving us.

SPEAKER_00:

You're welcome, and I thank y'all.

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