Words Of Wisdom From Grandpaw Ron

this was a post that my grandpaw ron sent to us over at pilgrim pals a while back and i thought it worth putting it here......grandpaw ron has been ill and has been in a hospital home for several weeks because of a bad fall....grandpaw ron lives the way that this post is written and even though he is having bad days, the people around him will surely realize what a great christian man he is....bernie and i miss him so much!

grandpaw ron wrote.

"Its not what you gather in life, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived “.
Several years ago , a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had the opportunityto ride the bus from his home to the downtown area.
When he sat down he discovered that the driver had accidently given him a quarter too much in change.
As he considered what to do , he thought to himself, “you’d better give the quarter back It would be wrong to keep it. ” Then he thought , ” Oh, forget it, its only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount anyway, and the bus company gets too much fare allready, they will nevermiss it. Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet.”
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said,” Here you gave me too much change. “
The driver, with a smile , replied, “Aren’t you the new preacher in town? I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you to much change. I’ll see you at church on Sunday. “
When the preacher stepped off the bus , he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said,.
“Oh God I almost sold your SON for a quarter .”
Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christains and will put us to the test ! Always be on guard–and remember–You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself “Christian.”
” Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits.Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”
The moral is ” We will not be remembered by our words , but by our kind deeds.”
Blessings to all. Ron."

Jessy Dixon In His Brand New Home...

CHICAGO (AP) - Jessy Dixon, a singer and songwriter who introduced his energetic style of gospel music to wider audiences by serving as pop singer Paul Simon's opening act, died Monday. He was 73.
Miriam Dixon said her brother died Monday morning at his Chicago home. She said he had been sick but declined to provide additional details.

it was for his gospel singing - religious music that combined the rhythmic beat of blues, jazz and soul - that Dixon first gained attention. It was during an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1972 with his Jessy Dixon Singers that

Dixon also played keyboard with Earth Wind and Fire and guitarist Phillip Upchurch.

Dixon, who began studying music at age 5, aspired to be classical pianist but told The Associated Press in a 1997 interview that he always knew his talent was destined for use in the church.

Born March 12, 1938, in San Antonio, Dixon's professional compass was set by gospel music legend James Cleveland, who heard Dixon's teen group perform at a theatre in the south Texas city. Dixon said Cleveland liked the group, but he liked Dixon more and persuaded him to move to Chicago to join his group, the Gospel Chimes, as both a singer and pianist.

Chicago's South Side was the place to be for a gospel musician, especially in the early 1960s.

"Going to church was like going to school," Dixon said. At church, he heard the likes of Mahalia Jackson and blues pioneer Thomas A. Dorsey, who is credited with creating modern gospel singing.

"Reading his (Dor sey's) music and studying it, he was the one who wrote for Tennessee Ernie Ford, Elvis Presley and Pat Boone," Dixon said. "All these people were singing his music and were making it commercial."

Dixon credited the creativity of artists like percussionist Maurice White and blues singer Willie Dixon, no relation, inspired him to compose. He started with choral music for Chicago's Thompson Community Singers, for which he sat at the keyboards. Several of his early songs have become classics, sung in churches across America, including: "Sit At His Feet and be Blessed," ''These Old Heavy Burdens" and "I Love to Praise His Name."

His more recent compositions gained him even wider acceptance. Dixon's "I Am Redeemed," released in 1993, lingered on Billboard magazine's gospel chart for more than five years.

After his stint with Simon ended, Dixon rode a wave of increased gospel music interest during the 1980s to build a following in Europe.

During his 1997 inte rview, Dixon noted that when he first began touring on his own outside the United States in the 1980s, the small audiences didn't have much respect for gospel as religious expression.

"At first it was viewed as entertainment," he said. "But now when I go, they ask me to share my faith as a Christian."

In the United States, Dixon was a long-time fixture on composer and singer Bill Gaither's Gospel Series, video concert broadcast on religious oriented cable television stations.

During his career, Dixon was able to produce five gold records and garner several Grammy nominations.

Dixon, is survived by a brother and sister.


Diana Ross - "There's an element in Jessy's music that can't be mistaken. That element is love, and wow do I feel it."
Bette Midler - "I've heard Jessy Dixon sing many times and in all of gospel music, Jessy Dixon is my favorite. Jessy Dixon has the gospel soul."
Bill Gaither - "I have traveled with Jessy Dixon for the past several years and never have I been with an artists with more heart. He is the real thing."
Natalie Cole - "Jessy's music is just like him, beautiful."