Music Led Me To A Heart Like Jesus

By Jerry R. Puckett

This inspirational memoir tells the spiritual story of how country preacher, singer, and songwriter Jerry R. Puckett's music has influenced his life and brought him closer to God. His upbringing by his grandfather and mother taught him lessons of love and accountability, and started his love of music. Early on, he and his two brothers began sing

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Sep 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638376293

Jerry R. Puckett

Jerry R. Puckett is a country preacher, singer, and songwriter. He has a degree in business administration from Hamburger University, High Point College business courses, GTCC and Davidson Community College musical studies, a real estate appraisal degree, life and health insurance certification, and emergency medical technician certification. Servsafe Instructor and Proctor. The North Carolina Country Music Association named him as part of the 1996 Most Popular Trio, and in 1996 as Most Popular Entertainer. Part of group, Southern Action winning $100,000 recording contract in 1993. Jerry has written many songs with his greatest accomplishment, Heart Like Jesus, continuing to be played and viewed over a 10 year span. Currently oversees, Heart Like Jesus Ministry which has once again been released in 2021 with over 500,000 views and plays. This song has been used in high school plays, church presentations. The song continues to encourage everyone to deepen their relationship with Jesus and share with the world a Heart Like Jesus.Jerry's interest in music began early in life, and as an adult he has written for and sung in the Salvation Sound Gospel Group and events, and has been a pastor for Freedom Won Ministries. His gives God the Glory, who is his main inspiration, and has guided him throughout his life. He has also been inspired by many country and gospel artists, his grandfather, James Puckett, and his mother, Ruby B. Broadway, along with family, friends, and fans who have always been supportive throughout his musical endeavors.Jerry resides in Sophia, North Carolina, with his wife and nearby children and their families. The family chihuahua named Rosebud has become like one of the children...but spoiled far worse. Jerry's hobbies include his many farm animals, gardening, and his greatest love-praising and singing for God.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

THE EARLY YEARS

O

ur life started like most others I suppose in the sixties. New gadgets like television, washing machines, refrigerators were being invented and showing up in homes. We certainly were not as advanced with technology as we are today, but it was an exciting time for everyone. I was born in 1961 in High Point, North Carolina. My parents Jerry Cecil Puckett and Ruby Dean Bartley, were married in 1960. Just two kids in love and starting on a new adventure. They worked hard; paid their bills weekly on about everything they got and were ready to start a family.

RUBY DEAN BARTLEY, OUR MOMMA

JERRY CECIL PUCKETT, OUR DADDY

FAMILY PICTURE

Both of them had come from farming communities. Daddy was born in Mount Airy, North Carolina. His grandparents were from the Cana, Virginia area and worked the mountain farming apples for a living.

His grandmother Eliza was a big influence in daddy's life. The grandchildren called her Mammie. She was a mountain woman and accomplished a lot on her own. She owned a mountain and raised a lot of kids in her two room house. I don’t even think you could call it a cabin; some would call it a shack. Nothing fancy but clean as a whistle. I remember going there as a child and she would be running around helping everyone and insisting you eat something. ‘Lord, child you gonna starve to death if you don’t sit down and eat a bite’ she’d say. Her life ended a lot different, but she was still loving as ever, unless you crossed her and she got you with that cane. No, she wouldn’t use it on you but she definitely made you think she would.

Daddy's other grandmother, Hallie, lived in Mount Airy and ran a boarding house in the middle of town. Both of his grandfathers had died early in age. I remember daddy saying that he was there when his grandfather, Virgil Puckett died. He told them, I am ready to go home, my soul is white as snow. Daddy never forgot that and I am sure they are together now.

Daddy died in September 2017. That was the hardest day of my life. We will talk about that later.

Now daddy's father, James Cecil Puckett was quite the handful when daddy was growing up. James’ father, Virgil Puckett, was a Christian and prayed many a prayer for my grandfather, James. Folks called him Jay. Pa, that's what we called him, got saved and was called by God to be a preacher. Most of his brothers, turned out to be preachers. Some pastored churches but Pa was never called for that. He was always going from church service to church service, preaching the word of God and singing songs while playing the guitar. I can still see him plain as day as he preached.

You see, one thing Pa expected was for his family to go to church and worship the Lord. Most did except some of the boys. The girls were there but didn’t always live the part when Pa was at work in Clinton, North Carolina. I will get into that in a little bit.

Now momma's family also worked on a farm but they raised a garden and crops. Grandpa, James Isom Bartley and Ennis Todd Bartley owned one hundred seventy-five acres. They raised tobacco, corn, cane, and other things. The land was cleared for crops, but also used for a sawmill.

Grandpa built many of the houses in Lowgap. It was mostly mountain but good land for planting crops and lumber. They would get white pine that was used for Christmas decorations like roping and wreaths. They had a house that had a kitchen, living room and a bedroom with 3 beds in it downstairs and two rooms upstairs. One room had 3 beds. No closets, the clothes were hung on a rope across the room. They raised 12 kids in this house. No running water, they had a spring which had cold water to keep the butter and milk cold. There was no inside bathroom, just a 2 hole outhouse with lizards occasionally dropping in. The old house was sold after their deaths and completely remodeled for a summer home. It looks a lot different now. Shame Grandpa and Grandma couldn’t live in it like it is now.

Times were hard, money was nonexistent, but grandma always filled the house with love. She would cook dinner on Sunday and neighbors and family would pass by and be invited to eat. She gave everything she could to help someone else.

Their clothes were made from flour sacks and sugar sacks. Rugs were made from the feed sacks for the floors. Bloomers as they were called then, were made with a pull string to hold them up at the waist. Mom said one day she was standing on the school bus holding her books and the string broke. Her bloomers started to fall. She managed to keep them up until she stepped off the bus and they fell to her feet. She just stepped out of them and kept walking.

GRANDMA BARTLEY WITH 4 OF THE KIDS.

PICTURE OF SIX OF THE KIDS.

They were poor and Grandpa was a very good carpenter but liked the bottle. Moonshine. That house had two rooms in the basement. One for the vegetables which you entered from the outside, and one for the moonshine making. The door for that room was under the kitchen table. He would leave sometimes for weeks at a time, and grandma would take care of the kids and the home until he returned.

Momma said she asked grandma once how she fed all those kids. Grandma said just add more flour to the gravy. It goes a long ways with biscuits.

She loved grandpa until she died. He died before her but she grieved for him until she died. She had 3 children buried together in the same grave. She gave birth to a stillborn little girl. The twin boys, age 2 years old got in the creek while grandma was giving birth and died of pneumonia.

PICTURE OF THE TWINS IN THE CASKET. THE BABY GIRL IN A CASKET BESIDE THEM. ALL 3 BURIED IN THE SAME GRAVE.

PICTURE OF SOME OF MOMMA'S FAMILY. (GRANDPA ISOM, JEAN, GRANDMA ENNIS, CLIFFORD, RUBY, BUCK, RONNIE AND WELDON)

Then her son, Calvin, 15 years old, died 4 months later. He drowned while fishing and learning to swim with his brothers.

I’m not sure how anyone could go through so much. You would have to have a strong faith in God. She just about lost her mind. Her mother said that grandma would see the children and she would she would have to tell her they were not there. She felt such a loss and emptiness in her heart. She lived through it.

GRANDMA BARTLEY

Later in life her son Clifford was hit in the head with a piece of wood and died later in a nursing home. Grandma lost a lot but still managed to raise all the other kids.

We would go to visit and she would come out the door when our car would drive up, giving hugs and kisses. She would be shaking she was so happy. She lived about two hours from us. We tried to go as often as possible but money was tight. My parents always took time for their parents.

Not all children feel that way, they think their parents are a burden. They put off visiting or calling. They don’t realize they will be gone one day and there will be no chance to call or visit again. Our lives have become so busy. One thing we can’t get back is time. It moves on with or without you. We can be here today and gone tomorrow. There is no promise of tomorrow, only this moment. We need to live it to the fullest. That is easier said than done.

Grandma loved everybody. She lived with my momma during her final years. She had a strong faith in God knowing she would see her children and husband again. I am absolutely sure she is with them now. She was a good Christian woman. She couldn’t read