Gordon Ellis

Hi Everyone,

I hope your new year has gotten off to a good start. Mine has been mixed. Every new year is symbolically, a milestone and a blank slate. It brings new hope, and I like that (Not that the New Year is the only time to create new ideas, dreams, etc., but it seems like a good time to start.).

A few weeks ago, a good friend, and a practitioner and long time member of CSLN, Candy Paull made her transition. She had been diagnosed with cancer a few weeks before, and for a while, it seemed like things were hopeful–she was hopeful– but due to a perfect storm of events (Which I won’t go into here), she started going downhill, and was gone quickly. I am grateful that I got to see her a few times before she passed.

For those of you who knew Candy, CSLN is holding a memorial service at the Center For Spiritual Living, 6705 Charlotte Pike, this Saturday ( 3/2/24) at 2 p.m. It is also going to be streamed on our YouTube channel. You can go to YouTube and type in CSLNashville, and should be able to join. Donna Michael will be officiating. My guess is that there will be an opportunity for people to share stories about Candy, and a few of us will be sharing a song, as Candy was a songwriter herself and lover of music. I am honored to be one of the people sharing a song and I hope it will be meaningful for everyone. More about Candy below.

On Sunday, March 10th, CSLN will hold its final service at the building that has been our home for nearly a quarter of a century. We have sold our current building, and will be sharing the Unity campus on Franklin Road on a trial basis, beginning on Sunday, March 17th, at noon (Unity will have their service first, at 9:30). I am honored to be one of the last performers to do a song at our current building, along with Antionette Olesen. I expect a lot of people to show up. If you have ever attended, come by to see some old friends and say goodbye to our home.

IN REMEMBRANCE OF CANDY PAULL:

I met Candy through the Nashville music community many years ago. We both were members of CSLN, but it was only seven or eight years ago, when we both became part of a spiritual sub-group of CSLN, that we got to know each other better, as there was a lot of personal sharing in the group as we got to know and trust each other more. Candy was one of those people who saw the best in others and encouraged them. She did that as a licensed CSLN practitioner, but also did that with just about anyone she knew. She had tremendous faith in our teaching, and used it during some tough times in her life to find her way through situations where it was hard to see a positive outcome. But her faith and positive attitude created the kind of positive outcomes no one could have envisioned–that was Candy. In addition to being a fine songwriter, she was a literary writer, with several books published, including “The Art Of Abundance” and “The Art Of Encouragement” to name a couple. She had just opened an Etsy store, creating and selling online greeting cards with positive sayings–some of them from her books–when she became ill.

Candy was a light, because she could always find the light in a dark situation–for others and for herself. I will miss her–we all will. Thank you, Candy for your love, wisdom, faith, and encouragement.

That’s it for this edition. Everyone have a great March, and don’t forget to spring forward on Sunday, March 10th.

Thanks for reading this newsletter.

Gordon

Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year from the warm and sunny south (Not!). Hope the holidays were good and everyone is off to a good start this year.

We only get heavy snow (4 inches or more) once every few years, and it’s been several years, so I guess we were due. Sunday Night and Monday we had our biggest snow in 8 years. The official total near the airport was 7.6 inches–my part of town got 8 inches and some areas got over 9″. Then came the cold! Single digits overnight, and I think this morning we bottomed out at 0! I’ve been keeping the hot and cold water running constantly to avoid a pipe burst like I had last year, when for the first time, I didn’t run that hot water, and that pipe burst and flooded my kitchen and bathroom. So far, so good this year. Meanwhile heat pumps struggle to keep up when the temp reaches single digits.

I only have one music thing to share, as the band is on a brief hiatis while one of our members has been attending to a family health issue. But I am scheduled to perform at the CSLN Sunday Service on Feb. 4th. It will likely be the last time I perform at this building, as we are moving at the end of February (Location still to be determined). It’s always an honor to be invited to do this, so I am looking forward to it.

Well, that’s all there is to share for now. be safe, Be well, Be you.

Gordon

Hi Everyone,

I had intended to send this out at least a week ago and got distracted, so though I am typing this on December 25th, MailChimp doesn’t actually send it out until the following morning. Therefore, belated Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, and Happy New year.

Wishing you excellent health on all levels (Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, etc.), prosperity, love, joy, and success in the coming year and beyond.

Thank you for reading my newsletters. Happy Holidays,

Gordon

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. I certainly did–good food, good people and good music.

Just a brief warning. My FB page was apparently hacked. If you get a friend request–something supposedly from me about some kind of grant (Or anything else uncharacteristic of me), don’t click the link–it is a hack. If you clicked already, you may want to change your password.

If you get one of these and are suspicious, you should probably check to see if we are already friends–if we are, it is a hack. Also, like most people I know, I have several hundred Facebook friends, so if it shows 0 or very few friends, that’s a tip off that it was a hack.

Be safe, be well, be you.

Gordon

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick reminder: The Gordon Ellis Ensemble will be performing at Phat Bites in Donelson next week, Thursday, 11/16 from 7-8 P.M. We will be opening for the Jim Martin Band, doing a set of my original Americana/Country music. This will be our 4th time there, so they must like us. There is no cover charge, but there is a tip jar on the stage and tips are always welcome.

Phat Bites has some great sandwiches with generous portions, in case you want to have dinner there.

Meanwhile, before Phat Bites (This Sunday, 11/12), I will be the Guest Performer at the CSLN Sunday Service, doing 3 of my songs with their great

house band. Rosemary Cathcart will be the speaker.

Finally, I want to thank Holly Bruce for inviting me to do a 25 minute solo set at the Bowery Vault last Saturday as part of her “Music As Medicine” show. It went very well!

Okay, I promised to keep it brief, so that’s it for now.

Be safe, be well, be you.

Gordon