Ray Family Update from January 2019

Dear Praying Friends,

Faith and hope are our familiar companions throughout much of this journey. We know that God is real. We know that He is at work. We know that His word is true. We know that His call to labour is worthy of our obedient response. Yet, in spite of all that, we spend much of our time “knowing” all of this by faith and expecting the benefits by hope. As is stated in Psalm 30:5, we expect that joy will come IN THE MORNING, but we believe that morning to be far off. We cannot find the faith to believe that we could get glimpses of that morning here and now. We might even deem that kind of thinking to be sinfully positive. However, there are spaces of time where the storm clouds vanish, the fog of battle dissipates, and the flood waters assuage, leaving behind the brightness of God’s sun. Perhaps in such times, it is not that the troubles truly go away, but that we finally get focused squarely on God. Whatever the case, we need not take this heavenly sunlight for granted. It is not, however, the indication that better days are ahead; rather, it is the reminder. In other words, faith and hope are the truest indications that God, His people, and His work will prevail, but the appearance of the rainbow sure is a pleasant reminder of that truth.

For some reason, I have had the great privilege recently to walk in a sense of God’s goodness and favour. It has been my chief delight to see the Lord magnified and the troubles minimized. Perhaps I am naïve, but I believe my ministry and our church has weathered a storm of storms and is turning the corner where rays of light are shining forth to warm our hearts and light our paths. The pessimist within swiftly interjects that other storms are awaiting around the next bend, but faith declares that God will be present, whether seen or unseen, and that He is enough.

In the Works

Since the day I got saved, I have tried to implement the work ethic I learned from my parents, but in the Lord’s work. I certainly never want it to be said that I was lazy or lacked purpose in the ministry. As of right now, we are finishing up our second children’s book, working on a book/booklet on proper clothing with Brother James Knox, waiting on the delivery of the songbooks, and working on the third year of seven of a Sunday School outline plan. In addition to this, we continue to grow our online courses for Antioch Baptist Bible Institute with new classes being taught by myself and Brother Jonathan Judy. In the church, I am preaching through the Book of Psalms as well as the book of Revelation in preparations for another prophecy book.

A Call to Prayer

I have so much more that I would like to write, but both my time and yours is limited. If you get nothing else from this report, please consider praying with and for us. First of all, there are three families that have reached out to us praying for the Lord’s will in their lives; at least two are actively seeking housing to relocate to Knoxville and to our church. Please pray for them! We want only what the Lord wants in this regard. Also, please pray for our upcoming Bible conference in June. Prayerfully consider attending, but regardless, pray for the meeting. Lastly, one of the men in our church recently spoke to an agent for the business next door to our property. He informed them of our interest in their property should they choose to sell. At first, they seemed disinterested, but followed up with queries as to our timeline and pricing. This pursuit is entirely an act of faith. Although I am fearful to pursue the property, I am more fearful of being faithless should God want us to pursue. While we are not out of room in the pews, we are as it pertains to ministry. PLEASE PRAY WITH US REGARDING THE LORD’S WILL IN THIS MATTER!