After a lot of prayer and consideration, several co-workers and I have decided to head north to Atlanta to wait out the storm.The Family of one staff has opened up their home for us to retreat to and wait out the storm.While this means i will be in Atlanta for the weekend, it does also open up the possibility of being there longer. Oviedo could be without power for weeks. This has lead us to make the hard decision to leave for the storm.If I'm going to be honest, I don't want to leave. Oviedo has become home to me and leaving home is always difficult. I feel like both of my options are bad. Either stay here an endure the storm or risk running out of gas on the road.  However, at this current time this feels like the wisest choice.Please continue to pray for the people of the tropical islands. Many have lost everything.Continue to pray for those that are staying in Florida. That Gods hand would protect them.

I have been here in Florida working with Emmaus Ministries for two weeks now. These past two weeks we have been in meetings every single day crafting a new program(s), and thinking up ways that people from all over the nation, as well as central Florida, will be able to interact with God’s word and learn tools to help them study the Bible. This past week, we as a staff laid out the “skeleton” of what is going to consist of our brand new Emmaus program. Every staff member is genuinely excited about what God has crafted through us and we are excited to share it! However, we are not quite ready to let the cat out of the bag. There are quite a few details that still need to be ironed out before we are ready to make a formal announcement. Trust me, once we are ready to spill the beans I will share every detail! I promise! For now, something really stood out to me in our last meeting. Our executive director, Tom Phillips, reminded us about the vision behind the ministry and the why we do what we do. Our Vision statement (which can be found at our website) is as follows: We seek to share with our students not only God’s Word, but also our lives, endeavoring to communicate and exemplify biblical truth and it’s relevance to all aspects and domains of life. We strive to better enable Christians to flourish in the many spheres of life, making no distinction between sacred and secular callings. It is our goal that students leave our classes with a thriving relationship with God rooted firmly in the gospel of grace and equipped with a big picture understanding of the Bible; herein lies the source of healthy relationships and a life led by the Holy Spirit that impacts the world for Christ.For those who have a hard time seeing the heart behind sentence structure, stanza and grammar let me explain what this practically means. We here at Emmaus believe that the Word of God can and will change the world. We believe that when people take a deep dive into Scripture, God changes their hearts. People get so radically transformed by God’s word that it changes every aspect of their lives. Emmaus does not exist to train future pastors and preachers alone. Rather, we hold that everyone following Jesus can, and will, change the world of the people around him. We believe that everyday Christians can have massive impact in the world. In fact, 2,000 years ago one carpenter completely turned the world upside down. We have a vision for every Christian knowing the Bible, not to obtain level 3 Christianity or to get an A+ on a Bible knowledge test. Our vision is for the Monday to Saturday life of every Christian to reflect a transformation that only comes through an intimate relationship with the living God. This can change the world! This is our/my “why”: Transformation of Christians so radical that they affect every community they come in contact with. It’s why I moved my life to Florida.It’s why I’m raising money. It’s why I’ve stayed with the ministry even though the job description changed. This vision gets me excited and I want to invite you to join me/us as i continue to walk through this adventure that God has called me to!

This last month has been filled with a lot of travel, speaking, reunions, goodbyes, and meetings. I wanted to take a moment to highlight a few key events from this last month, and then share with you a peek into the future.Camp Lurecrest- Bearwallow 2This year I was able to speak alongside my Father, Brett Ray, at Camp Lurecrest. This week was special because it was the last time that my dad was ever going to speak for Camp Lurecrest. It was a humbling experience as we met with people my dad had influenced over the years through his ministry at Camp Lurecrest.We spent the week speaking on how Jesus is the only way to salvation. How it is only through the blood of Jesus that we are made right and sin is removed. We talked about our need for a Savior and how God was (and still is) calling every camper to a relationship with him.Each chapel was precious as we counted down the days until his final chapel session.At his last chapel session, we had a short service led by the camp directors: David Butts and Jeremy White. We celebrated 28 years of ministry and service with a video of different testimonies from different people who my dad mentored over the years spent at Lurecrest.Without saying a word, every heart cried the same thing: I want a legacy like Brett Ray’s! A legacy that is built upon reliance and dependence on Jesus. A ministry that is built on obedience to the Holy spirit. A teaching that always points to the the majesty of the Father. The night was magical, and I’m not sure I will ever experience a chapel session quite like it.New Venture CampTwo weeks ago I spoke for New Venture camp. Every camper that attended New Venture, was placed in the foster care system because of neglect or abuse. For many of the campers, this camp is the only place that they get to hear the gospel preached, and see it lived out by adults that care about and love them. This camp, although difficult in its nature, has consistently been my favorite week of teaching I do every year. This year, was the same.This year I focused on the basics of the Christian faith. That we are created to experience relationship with God, it’s why we exist. Sin separates us from experiencing life the way that God intended it to be. The world is broken and we are broken because of personal and corporate sin. Jesus Christ has come and is the only way to experience oneness with God. Now we can look forward to the hope of final restoration in heaven!I’m always surprised how the youth respond to camp. It’s fun to see them glow during activities. It’s fun to see them listening during chapel, and asking questions when they are confused.I left New venture feeling like God had moved in the hearts of the campers. I pray that the Gospel is deeply rooted in the hearts of these campers. Many returned to difficult situations at home. I pray for steadfastness in the face of adversity.The Return Home4 days ago I stepped through the threshold of Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center. It felt like a wonderful breath of fresh air to be home. As I write this, we are in our second day of vision casting and dreaming up a brand new Emmaus program.Today we went back through our mission and vision, and we’re praying through what we believe God is calling us to do with our program. I am so excited to share more with you about what we are creating and what we believe God is doing here in Orlando! Stay tuned.

Small IntroThis past week I had the distinct pleasure of taking part in a youth retreat in Yellowknife Canada. My good friend Deanna invited me to speak at this retreat all the way back in August. I have been preparing for this retreat for a little under half of a year. Now that the retreat is behind me I’ve had some time to think and journal about my experiences. While I could talk for hours (I have for several of my friends and family), I wanted to share with you two main thoughts I had leaving the Arctic and returning home.What I learnedIn all of my preparation for this trip I tried my best to learn about the culture of Inuit peoples. I watched videos talking about culture, read articles from the Canadian government, and even talked with people who had done ministry with Inuit first hand.In all of my research one thing stood above all the other facts and tidbits. Inuit, when translated, means “Real People”. Oddly enough, when I arrived in Yellowknife all the other things that I learned fell away and the only thing I was left with was this phrase: Real People.As a missionary I can make my ministry very Me and Them. I can see ministry as two groups of people. Me and the people I’m ministering to. I’m learning that this has created a disconnect in my mind. I forget that I’m interacting with people. People who joke, laugh, cry, feel, reason and grow. Meeting the Inuit youth, seeing them smile, joking with them, eating with them - it all taught me something so important: Ministry is always with real people.What I was able to doI had the privilege to speak twice alongside six other fantastic speakers for the youth conference. The entire conference shared one central theme: Identity.My talks were based out of Colossians three. I shared the importance of knowing your identity in Christ. When we have an identity that is based on something other than Jesus and our sonship in God we can find ourselves left of center.When we don't have an identity firmly rooted in how God has called us Sons and Daughters, we can do a whole lot of dumb things in the attempt of getting God’s attention. The truth of the Gospel is that Jesus died for our sins so that we might be sons and daughters adopted into the kingdom of God. This is our truest identity in Christ.During the conference . I was able to see from one-on-ones as well as lecture (teaching) time, that sweet moment of, "I get it”! I was able to witness the Gospel taking root in the hearts of youth from all over the Arctic."Thank you so much for reading as well as the continued prayers and support. My next world travel is going to take me back to Camp Lurecrest in Lake Lure, North Carolina. There I will be speaking side by side with my Father, and then ending the summer speaking at Lurecrest’s New Venture Camp. Stay tuned for more ministry updates coming this summer.

Recently as I was scrolling through Facebook I saw that a friend had posted a picture that asked a simple question:“What is this chapter of your life called?”It didn't take me long to come up with the title of this chapter of my life. I shared the picture with my chapter title: Will you trust me?The past few months have been a great time of trial and trusting the Lord. I knew that this season of support raising was going to be difficult but I had no idea it was going to be this hard.But in all of it I have continually heard the Lord ask over and over again,  “will you trust me?”A good friend of mine shared a story with me in relation to trusting God. She had recently had her first child and was walking with her around Camp Lurecrest. They approached a flight of stairs leading to the dining hall.When the one year old approached the first step, she looked down saw the challenge before her and without hesitation reached up her hand to hold on to her mother's hand.When I was a young Christian I had the same muscle memory when it came to the Lord. Now sometimes, when I look at the challenges of this life, I’m hesitant to hold on. I find myself debating with God on whether or not this is the right path, try to descend it myself, or I just sit down quietly.In all of my frustration and striving I find God quietly inviting me to trust him. He is never harsh, never frustrated and always excited for me to take him up on his offer.This time is scary for me. I look at raising funds for the ministry and look at God and say, “I can’t do this.”I hear him respond,  “you, by yourself, can’t. But you have me, will you trust me?”Trusting God is never easy. In this season of utter dependence on God I’m learning to reach up to him sooner and more often. I know that when I reach out to him he is faithful to hold on tight.

One day two men walked down the road that leads from Jerusalem towards the city of Emmaus. As they walked they talked about the events that had transpired over the past few days. Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet, had been put to death on a Roman cross. Many had believed that this Jesus of Nazareth might be the Christ, the Messiah. As the two men walked towards Emmaus, they shared in their disappointment that yet another savior proved to be nothing more than what seemed to be a long lost hope.Then, they were met by a third man who began to walk with them as they expressed their disappointment. With a laugh and a chuckle he proclaimed that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into glory.The text goes on to explain that the mysterious man interpreted everything said from Moses to the prophets and showed that it was all pointing to him. This man was Jesus.Emmaus Ministries exists for moments like these. Today my heart is to share with you the why of Emmaus ministries. This is the heartbeat of our ministry and what got me excited about joining as a full-time staff member.There is a moment in this story, which can be found in Luke 24, when Jesus reveals himself to the two men while sharing dinner with them later that very day. When they realize it’s Jesus that’s been walking with, they proclaim that their hearts had burned within them as Jesus showed them himself in Scripture. Here at Emmaus Ministries we are all about moments just like what unfolded that day on a dirty road. Our goal at Emmaus  is to show how Jesus Christ is the main character in all of Scripture. The covenant with Abraham, the crossing of the Red Sea, the sacrificial system in Leviticus - it all points to the person and ministry of Jesus!