My name is Ron Dickson and I am an expert sinner saved by grace. Following college graduation with a degree in accounting, I married my wife Jayme (now of 27 years), and together we have two sons, Sam and Gus. I had lived a fairly ordinary, safe and comfortable life as an American Christian, until a devastating day in August of 2011 when our 15 year old son Sam went to soccer practice, and collapsed and died suddenly of cardiac arrest.

While there are many lesser things I could have drawn comfort from, or sought out to help with the pain, I turned to the Bible. A year after Sam, who was a Christian, went Home to heaven, I knew that seminary would allow me to grow and understand God’s Word in significant ways. I enrolled in Reformed Baptist Seminary, and just this month completed my studies. While I am open to where God might lead, my goal in completing my seminary degree was not vocation or a calling to be a pastor, but to be prepared for this earthly life by better knowing his Word and God’s ways.

I am so grateful for the depth of knowledge and understanding that I have gained as I worked through my courses.   I now serve as an elder and teacher in my church, and my wife, son Gus, and a myriad of Christian brothers and sisters have started and continued an after school Good News Club through Child Evangelism Fellowship in an inner city school that currently has 140 registered children attending the club weekly.  Our outreach to them has grown to having monthly Sunday evening church services, bringing many of the children to church on Sunday mornings, partnering with a summer camp for at-risk kids, helping to provide for practical needs of their families, and always, sharing the gospel.  We run a soup kitchen monthly in the same community and are grateful to know and serve the people that come as we seek to share the love of Christ and the hope that is found in Him when one makes Jesus Lord of their life.

Scripture reveals to us a God who is always in control but he is not always pleased by our choices.  Human decisions and actions as well as events do not inhibit or restrict God, but Scripture shows that they can anger him.  Sam’s death was not beyond God’s knowledge or control and God was not surprised by this.  I believe what Scripture tells us, that the last enemy to be defeated is death (1 Cor. 15:26), and Christ hates Sam’s death with me, while at the same time, I believe that Christ died to fulfill God’s plan, even as he said, “not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42, KJV).  I also believe that God is using my son’s death to bring good things into my life, and into the life of my wife and son Gus, and he is transforming that horrendous day and giving it meaning as he transforms us.  However many good things happen, though, it never makes the event itself – my first born son’s sudden death – a good thing. As I look toward Home, my daily cry is - Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus - as I seek to be an ordinary Christian doing ordinary things with gospel intentions.

Ron Dickson, MTS